Structure
Verb[る] + つもり + だ
Verb[ない]+ つもり + だ(*)
Verb + つもり + は(1) + ない(**)
(1) が
(*) To intend not to
(**) To have no intention of
Details
Part of Speech
Noun
Word Type
Auxiliary Verb
Register
Standard
品詞
名詞
単語の種類
助動詞
使用域
一般
Rare Kanji
積もり
About つもりだ
つもりだ (or です) is a grammar point that can have several meanings in Japanese, but is often translated simply as 'intend to (A)', or 'plan to (A)'. It can be used after the plain (dictionary) form of verbs, or after the ない form.
In the last two sentences, there is quite a large difference in nuance, and can be thought of as similar to the difference between 'to intend not to' ないつもり, and 'to have no intention of' つもりはない in English. The former will mean that (A) is being actively avoided, while the latter will indicate that one simply has no plans to (A).
Fun Fact
The literal meaning of つもり comes from the verb 積もる, which means 'to pile up', or 'to load'. Due to this, つもり is regularly used to describe people that are doing something that is out of character for them, meaning that they have 'piled up' whatever feeling was required to act that way.
-
それは謝ってるつもり?Is that intended to be an apology? (Do you really think that is an apology?)
In this example, the nuance of つもり is 'so you're really going to act like you're apologizing?!' However, the literal meaning is closer to 'so you've really piled up enough (nerve) in order to act like that's an apology?!'
Caution
The は in つもりはない is interchangeable with が or じゃ (usually では is not used). The difference in nuance is that が gives the impression of being 'uninterested' in (A), while じゃ simply expresses that (A) is not the intended result.
-
今日は先生と話すつもりがない。I don't have any intention to talk to the teacher today.
-
今日は何も買うつもりじゃない。I don't intend on buying anything today.
Synonyms
よていだ
Plan to, Intend to
Not studied yet
はずだ
Bound to (be), Expected to (be), Should be (able)
Not studied yet
〜ようと思う・〜おうと思う
I think I will, I think I shall, Going to, Gonna (Volitional + と思う)
Not studied yet
つもりで
With the intention of doing, Instead of..., Act as if or pretend, Believing that..., Thinking that...
Not studied yet
Examples
日本に行くつもりだ。
I intend to go to Japan.
日本語を勉強するつもりだ。
I intend to study Japanese.
日本語を勉強して、日本に行くつもりだ。
I intend to study Japanese and go to Japan.
明日早く起きるつもりです。
I intend to wake up early tomorrow.
車で行くつもりです。
I intend to go by car.
Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
Self-Study Sentences
Study your own way!
Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.
Online
More about つもりだ
Learn Japanese Adventure
Offline
Genki I
Page 196
みんなの日本語 II
Page 42 [CH 31]
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 234
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 503
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
つもりだ – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (14 in total)
shary
Thanks for the detailed explanation.
You are always very quick to respond and seem open to improve this already very exhaustive grammar data base.
I appreciate that.
Savannah
So why is there a warning sign next to “つもりではない”? Is that supposed to indicate that it’s incorrect? And if it’s incorrect, then why is it incorrect when “つもりじゃない” is apparently acceptable?
Daru
Hey there! It’s basically because it would be a bit redundant.
つもり with just で comes off kinda like ‘the intention of ~ I’m intending’, whereas つもりはない and つもりじゃない just negate the つもり, so it’s ‘no intention of ~’.
Hope this clears it up!
Got questions about つもりだ? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!
Join the Discussion