〜つもり: How to Say You Plan or Intend to Do Something
The resolve it declares
When you end a sentence with つもり, you're announcing a decision you've already made in your own mind — not a guess, not a maybe, but a settled intention to act. It's the everyday way to put your plans into words, and because the conviction lives inside you, it says more about your resolve than about anything fixed on a calendar.
ヤッタンは週末は勉強するつもりです。
ヤッタンは しゅうまつは べんきょうする つもりです。
Yattan plans to study this weekend.
モチは夏に日本へ行くつもりだ。
モチは なつに にほんへ いく つもりだ。
Mochi intends to go to Japan in summer.
先生に明日聞くつもりです。
せんせいに あした きく つもりです。
I intend to ask the teacher tomorrow.
What sits in front of it
つもり attaches to the dictionary (plain, non-past) form of the verb, then closes with だ (plain) or です (polite). A handy mental shortcut: take the plain form you'd use to end a sentence, drop the period, and add つもり.
| Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Intend to (do) | dictionary verb + つもりだ／です | 行くつもりです = I plan to go |
| Do not intend to | 〜ない + つもりだ／です | 行かないつもりです = I plan not to go |
| Have no intention of | dictionary verb + つもりはない | 行くつもりはない = I have no intention of going |
| Had intended to | dictionary verb + つもりだった | 行くつもりだった = I had intended to go |
Two of those rows carry their own nuance, so they're worth hearing in full sentences. The negatives split by strength: 〜ないつもり simply frames your intention not to do something, while 〜つもりはない flatly rejects the very idea — closer to "no way am I going to." The second is more emphatic, so it can sound stubborn or defiant depending on tone.
ヤッタンは今日は出かけないつもりです。
ヤッタンは きょうは でかけない つもりです。
Yattan plans not to go out today.
〜ないつもり = your intention is to not do something — fairly neutral.
ヤッタンはあきらめるつもりはない。
ヤッタンは あきらめる つもりは ない。
Yattan has no intention of giving up.
〜つもりはない is stronger — flatly denying any such intention.
Push つもり into the past as つもりだった and you report a resolve you held earlier — very often one that didn't actually happen. That's the built-in shrug the Insight mentioned: the plan was real, reality wasn't.
モチは早く起きるつもりだったが、寝坊した。
モチは はやく おきる つもりだったが、ねぼうした。
Mochi had intended to get up early, but overslept.
つもりだった often hints the plan fell through.
ヤッタンの弟は宿題をするつもりだった。
ヤッタンの おとうとは しゅくだいを する つもりだった。
Yattan's little brother had intended to do his homework.
The implication: he didn't quite manage it.
How settled it sounds — and its neighbours
Three expressions all point at the future, but they sit at different rungs of "settled":
- 〜つもり is a personal intention — a decision you've made in your head. It may or may not be locked in: 来年留学するつもりです ("I intend to study abroad next year").
- 〜よてい (予定) is a fixed schedule or arrangement — something already set, often by a plan, ticket, or someone else: 来週試験のよていです ("there's an exam scheduled next week"). Use よてい when it feels official or on the calendar, not just in your mind.
- 〜よう (volitional), like 行こう or 食べよう, is the impulse "let's…" or "I think I'll…" — a will or suggestion in the moment, not a settled plan.
So つもり sits between them: more decided than a passing 〜よう, but more personal and less guaranteed than a 〜よてい on the schedule.
Watch-outs
- Using ます-form before つもり. It takes the dictionary form: 行くつもり (✓), not 行きますつもり (✗).
- Mixing up the two negatives. 〜ないつもり = "plan not to"; 〜つもりはない = "no intention at all" (stronger). Don't say 行かないつもりはない when you simply mean you don't plan to go.
- Using つもり for a fixed schedule. A booked flight or set exam is よてい, not つもり — つもり is your personal intention.
- Forgetting だ／です. つもり is a noun-like word, so finish with つもりだ (plain) or つもりです (polite), not a bare つもり in writing.
The short version
- 〜つもり = a personal plan or intention you've decided on.
- Form: dictionary verb + つもりだ／です.
- Negatives: 〜ないつもり ("plan not to") vs the stronger 〜つもりはない ("no intention at all").
- つもりだった = "had intended to," often implying it didn't happen.
- A fixed schedule is よてい; the "let's…" volitional is 〜よう.
Practice it
Choose the correct つもり form for each plan or intention.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
僕は今日この機械を試験する＿＿＿です。
Frequently asked questions
What form of the verb goes before つもり?
The dictionary (plain, non-past) form: 行くつもりです, 食べるつもりです. Don't use the ます-form — 行きますつもり is wrong.
What's the difference between 〜ないつもり and 〜つもりはない?
〜ないつもり means your plan is to not do something (fairly neutral). 〜つもりはない flatly denies any intention and is stronger, closer to 'no way will I.'
What does つもりだった imply?
It means you had intended to do something. In practice it very often signals the plan didn't actually happen: 早く起きるつもりだったが、寝坊した ('I'd meant to get up early, but overslept').
How is つもり different from よてい?
つもり is your personal intention — a decision in your head. よてい (予定) is a fixed schedule or arrangement, like a booked appointment or a set exam. Use よてい for things on the calendar.
Where 〜つもり fits
Don't confuse it with
- 〜たい · N5 — 〜たい attaches to a verb stem to say what you want to do. Learn the formation, why it conjugates like an i-adjective, the が/を switch, how to talk about other people's wants (たがる), and see 12 examples.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜ことができる · N5 — 〜ことができる expresses ability: dictionary-form verb + ことができる ('can do'). Learn the verb pattern, the noun + ができる pattern, the polite and negative forms, and how it compares to the potential form.
Compared side by side
See how this pattern differs from the ones it's confused with:
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- だけ — だけ means 'only' or 'just' — water だけ, one だけ, look だけ. Learn how to attach it to nouns, numbers, and verbs, what happens to を and が, and how it differs from しか〜ない.
- も — The particle も means 'also/too' and replaces は, が, or を. Learn 〜も〜も ('both…and'/'neither…nor') and も with numbers for 'as many as' or 'not even.'
- 〜てあげる — 〜てあげる means you do an action FOR someone as a favour, from the giver's side. Learn the て-form + あげる pattern, the に particle, the さしあげる/やる politeness levels, and the condescension trap.
- 〜てくれる — 〜てくれる means someone does something FOR you as a kindness: モチが手伝ってくれた. Learn the form, the polite 〜てくださる, the request 〜てくれませんか, and how it differs from 〜てあげる and 〜てもらう.
- 〜てもらう — 〜てもらう means you receive the favor of someone doing something for you: the receiver is the subject, the doer takes に. Learn formation, the polite ていただく, and how it differs from てくれる and てあげる.
- 〜てください — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.