N4 · Wanting and intending
Intentions and plans: つもり and よてい
what you mean to do, and what is arranged
つもり states what a person intends to do; よてい states what has been arranged.
つもり is a noun meaning "intention", and it follows the dictionary form of a verb: 来年、日本へ行くつもりです, "I intend to go to Japan next year". It states a plan settled in your own mind — firmer than 〜ようと思う, "I'm thinking of", but still a matter of your will rather than of anybody's calendar.
The negative has two forms, and the difference is real. 行かないつもりです is "I intend not to go": a decision not to. 行くつもりはありません is "I have no intention of going": stronger, and often a refusal. The past 行くつもりでした says you meant to and, usually, did not.
予定, "plan, schedule", also follows the dictionary form, or a noun with の. It describes an arrangement — something on the calendar, often fixed together with other people: 会議は3時に始まる予定です. 予定 works for trains, meetings and buildings; つもり needs a person with a will.
English speakers stumble over the second meaning of つもり. After a past form or an adjective it is not a plan but a belief about yourself: 鍵をかけたつもりでした, "I thought I had locked it". And asking a superior about their つもり sounds as if you are questioning their motives; ask about their ご予定 instead.
The form
| I intend to go. | 行くつもりです。 |
| I intend not to go. | 行かないつもりです。 |
| I have no intention of going. | 行くつもりはありません。 |
| I meant to go (but did not). | 行くつもりでした。 |
| I am scheduled to go. | 行く予定です。 |
| A trip is planned. | 旅行の予定があります。 |
| I thought I had locked it. | 鍵をかけたつもりでした。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
つもり follows the dictionary form of a verb.
夏休みは国へ帰るつもりです。I intend to go home for the summer holidays.
ないつもり is a decision not to; つもりはない denies any intention at all.
もうあの店には行かないつもりです。I've decided not to go to that shop again.
予定 describes an arrangement, and can be used about things and about other people.
新しい駅は来年できる予定です。The new station is due to open next year.
つもりでした says that you meant to and did not.
電話するつもりでしたが、忘れてしまいました。I meant to call, but I forgot.
After a past form or an adjective, つもり means what somebody believes about themselves.
若いつもりでも、体は正直です。You may feel young, but your body tells the truth.
A closer look
The other つもり
After a past form, an adjective or a noun with の, つもり describes how somebody sees themselves or what they believed they had done — often with the hint that reality was different: 全部説明したつもりでした, "I thought I had explained everything".
The most useful sentence built on it is an apology: そんなつもりじゃなかったんです, "I didn't mean it like that". It does not deny what happened; it denies the intention behind it, which is exactly what an apology for a misunderstanding needs to do.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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つもり follows a past form or an adjective
it describes what somebody believes about themselves, not a plan.
全部説明したつもりでしたが、一つ忘れていました。I thought I had explained everything, but I had forgotten one thing.
An intention can only point forward; once it is attached to something already done, all that is left is the belief that it was done.
How to spot it
- 〜つもりです
- 〜ないつもり
- つもりはない
- 〜予定です
- 〜の予定
Example sentences
大学を卒業したら、日本で働くつもりです。After I graduate, I intend to work in Japan.
今年はたばこをやめるつもりです。I mean to give up smoking this year.
週末は何をするつもりですか。What are you planning to do at the weekend?
明日は午後から会議の予定があります。I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
飛行機は10時に着く予定です。The plane is due to land at ten.
彼と結婚するつもりはありません。I have no intention of marrying him.
7 more example sentences
来月、引っ越すつもりです。I'm planning to move next month.
今夜は早く寝るつもりだ。I mean to go to bed early tonight.
会議は一時間で終わる予定です。The meeting is scheduled to last an hour.
そんなつもりで言ったんじゃありません。I didn't say it with that intention.
来週の予定はもう決まりましたか。Have next week's plans been decided yet?
車は買わないつもりです。電車で十分ですから。I'm not planning to buy a car. The train is enough for me.
今日は部長と昼ご飯を食べる予定です。I am having lunch with the department head today.
Worth knowing (2)
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An apology built on つもり
When something you said has been taken badly, そんなつもりじゃなかった is the natural thing to say. It is one of the most frequent uses of the word in everyday speech.
ごめんなさい、そんなつもりじゃなかったんです。I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way.
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よてい on its own
As a plain noun, 予定 is how you ask whether somebody is free without asking it directly: 予定がありますか means "Do you have plans?".
今週の土曜日、何か予定がありますか。Do you have anything planned this Saturday?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
A train has no intentions. つもり is about a person's will; a timetable, a meeting or a building that is due to open is described with 予定. English "plan to" and "be due to" can blur this, Japanese cannot.
つもり is what a person means to do; よてい is what is on the calendar.
Your turn
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