意What you think and know
Plans and intentions
つもり is a plan you already have. ~ようと思う is a decision you're making as you speak.
Plan, or just decided?
Two ways to state your intent
I plan to go to Japan next year.
A settled plan.
You know what, I think I'll go to Japan.
A thought you're having now.
Volitional form
Needed for ~ようと思う
On its own, it's the casual “let's”: 行こう!
| Type | Change | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | final -u becomes -ou | 行く → 行こう, 読む → 読もう |
| Group 2 | drop る, add よう | 食べる → 食べよう |
| Irregular | する → しよう, 来る → 来よう |
Try some
Pick a verb
The volitional form of each.
I think I'll go.
-u becomes -ou.
つもり
What you mean to do
I'm planning to go home over summer vacation.
I don't intend to work next week.
I have no intention of apologizing.
This is a stronger way to say no.
He thinks he's young.
It can also mean what someone believes, even if it's not so.
~ようと思う
What you're thinking of doing
I think I'll quit smoking this year.
I've been thinking of studying more.
~思っています means you've been thinking this for a while.
He's thinking of becoming a teacher.
For someone else, it has to be 思っています.
A firm “never again”
~まいと思う
I swore I'd never go to that shop again.
Plain verb + まい: a resolution not to do something. It sounds old-fashioned and literary, so everyday speech uses 行かないつもりだ.
Careful
Who you can say it about
Both are about your own intention. In a question, つもり asks someone else's: 行くつもりですか. Don't overuse it with superiors, though, since it can sound like you're asking them to justify themselves. つもり needs something before it: use その or a verb.
Check yourself
What kind of intention is it?
Your turn
Which verb form?
I plan to go to Italy next year.
Say it yourself
New year's resolutions
A friend asks about your plans. You've already planned to study abroad next year, and you've just decided you'll start running.
Automatic feedback on your own answers is coming to Premium.