Intentions with つもりです

～つもりです ~tsumori desu Intend to; plan to

つもりです says what you have decided to do: I'm going to visit Hokkaido. It follows the dictionary form or the ない form of a verb.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Plans and purpose
English links: future forms, going to, verb + to-infinitive

What it means

つもり means intention. Put it after the dictionary form of a verb, the plain form you find in a dictionary, such as 行く or 食べる. Then add です. 行くつもりです means "I intend to go" or, more naturally, "I'm going to go".

For a plan not to do something, use the ない form: 行かないつもりです (I'm not going to go). This is more common than 行くつもりはありません, which sounds firm, almost like a refusal.

つもり is about your own decision. It is not a timetable. Use it for what you have made up your mind to do. Be a little careful when you ask a senior colleague 何をするつもりですか. It can sound direct, as if you are checking up on them.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Dictionary form + つもりです dictionary form + tsumori desu	行きます → 行く → 行くつもりです. I intend to go.
ない form + つもりです nai form + tsumori desu	行かない → 行かないつもりです. I don't plan to go.
Dictionary form + つもりはありません dictionary form + tsumori wa arimasen	A strong "I have no intention of". Use it with care.

Examples

夏休みに北海道へ行くつもりです。 natsuyasumi ni hokkaidou e iku tsumori desu. I'm going to go to Hokkaido in the summer holidays.
来年、日本語の試験を受けるつもりです。 rainen, nihongo no shiken o ukeru tsumori desu. I plan to take the Japanese exam next year.
今日は残業しないつもりです。 kyou wa zangyou shinai tsumori desu. I'm not going to work overtime today.
週末は家で休むつもりです。 shuumatsu wa ie de yasumu tsumori desu. I'm going to rest at home this weekend.
冬休みは何をするつもりですか。 fuyuyasumi wa nani o suru tsumori desu ka. What are you going to do over the winter holidays?

How English says it

The everyday English for つもりです is "be going to": "I'm going to visit Hokkaido." "Plan to" and "I'm thinking of -ing" are also common. "Intend to" is correct, but it sounds formal in conversation.

For the negative, English moves "not" to the helping verb: "I'm not going to work overtime." Students who translate 行かないつもり word by word may try to put "not" next to the main verb.

Why it can make English hard

Dictionaries often give "intend" for つもり, so many students say "I intend to" in casual talk, where it sounds stiff.
Japanese has no tense in the plan itself, so some learners use "will" for every plan. "Will" often sounds like a decision made on the spot, not a plan made earlier.
The negative goes in a different place. 行かないつもり puts "not" on the action, and students may say "I'm going to not go" or "I don't going to go".

Mistakes you will hear

I don't going to work overtime today. I'm not going to work overtime today. The negative goes on "be": I'm not going to.
I'm planning go to Hokkaido. I'm planning to go to Hokkaido. "Plan" needs "to" before the next verb.
I intend to eat ramen tonight. I'm going to have ramen tonight. Correct grammar, but too formal for a small plan. "Going to" sounds natural.

In the classroom

Ask "What are you going to do this weekend?" every Monday morning, and "What did you do?" every Friday. A steady routine turns "going to" into a habit.
Show three cards: "I'll", "I'm going to", "I intend to". Read short situations aloud and let students hold up the best card. The phone is ringing: "I'll get it." A plan from last week: "I'm going to".
Pair work with a calendar. One student fills in their plans, the partner asks yes or no questions: "Are you going to see a film on Saturday?"

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 明日は早く寝る＿＿＿です。 (I'm going to go to bed early tomorrow.)

Answer: つもり

Dictionary form + つもりです shows your own intention.
2. Make it negative: 行くつもりです

Answer: 行かないつもりです

Change the verb to the ない form and keep つもりです.
3. A student writes "I will going to study tonight." Fix it.

Answer: I'm going to study tonight.

Use either "will" or "going to", not both. After "going to", use the base verb.
4. Translate: 来年、日本語の試験を受けるつもりです。

Answer: I'm going to take the Japanese exam next year.

つもり is a plan you have decided on. "Going to" is the natural English.