つもりだ— Intention / Plan

• 明日から走るつもりです。

  Ashita kara hashiru tsumori desu.

  I intend to start running from tomorrow.

  走る (run, dictionary form) + つもりです (intend to)

• 負けるつもりはない！

  Makeru tsumori wa nai!

  I have no intention of losing!

  負ける + つもりはない — negating つもり ('no intention of') is stronger than 負けないつもり

• 夏休みに国へ帰るつもりだ。

  Natsuyasumi ni kuni e kaeru tsumori da.

  I intend to go back to my home country during summer vacation.

  帰る (return, dictionary form) + つもりだ (intend to)

• ・To say you intend NOT to do something you can use either the nai-form + つもり (行かないつもり) or つもりはない (行くつもりはない, 'no intention of going'). • つもり can also express a subjective self-image: 若いつもりだ ('I think of myself as young'). • 予定 (よてい) is used for fixed, scheduled plans; つもり is personal intention.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones つもりだ is tested against.

• たことがある — Have Done (Experience)
• ほうがいい — Had Better / Should
• てほしい — Want someone (else) to do something
• だけで — Just by doing / With just
• ではないか / じゃないか — Isn't it? (rhetorical)
• が必要だ (がひつようだ) — Need / Necessary
• がする — Involuntary sense perception
• がり(屋) — Prone to feeling / Overly sensitive to (suffix)