Grammar Point

つもり

intention, plan, purpose, expectation

belief, assumption, thought, conviction


Verb informal non-past + つもり

Used to express a person's intention or plan to do something in the future. It is generally used for the speaker's own intentions, or the intentions of someone the speaker can strongly empathize with.

Verb informal non-past

The dictionary form of a verb followed by つもり indicates a plan or intention.


I intend to buy a new car.

I do not intend to go to the party.

Note

When expressing a negative intention, you can use either the negative form of the verb followed by つもり (e.g., 行かないつもり), or the affirmative verb followed by つもりはない (e.g., 行くつもりはない). The latter is a much stronger denial of intention.

Verb/Adjective/Noun + つもり

Used to express a conviction, belief, or assumption about a past action or a current state, even if the reality might be different. It conveys that the person feels sure about the situation.

Verb informal past

Using the past tense of a verb indicates that the speaker believed they had completed an action.


I believed I had locked the door.

い-Adjective

Used with い-adjectives to show a belief about a current state.


I feel like I am still young.

な-Adjective + な

Used with な-adjectives to show a belief about a quality or trait.


He believes he is skillful.

Noun + の

Used with nouns to show an assumed identity or state.


I thought I was a bird in my dream.

Note

When used with nouns, the particle の is required. When used with な-adjectives, the particle な is required. This usage often implies that while the subject believes something to be true, others might disagree or the objective facts might differ.



Radicals of radicals