Japanese Grammar: つもりで (Tsumori de)

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Japanese Grammar: つもりで (Tsumori de)
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

‘With the intention of,’ ‘with the mindset of,’ or ‘as if.’

🎯 Primary Function

To describe the attitude, mindset, or intended purpose behind an action.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (Dictionary form / Ta-form) + つもりで
い-adj + つもりで
な-adj + な + つもりで / Noun + の + つもりで
Verb (ない-form) + つもりで

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in business or formal apologies to explain one’s intentions or to show determination (e.g., ‘With the mindset of a professional’).

😊 Informal Situations

Common in daily conversation to explain misunderstandings or shared hypothetical games (e.g., ‘Let’s pretend we are…’).

✍️ Written Language

Used in journals, essays, and stories to describe a character’s internal state.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very frequent in spoken Japanese to clarify ‘I meant to…’ or ‘I felt like…’.

💡 Common Applications

Acting ‘as if’ (Hypothetical)
Used when you act as if a certain situation is true, even if it isn’t.
Example: 旅行に行ったつもりで貯金する。(Saving money as if I went on a trip.)
Expressing Intention/Mindset
Used to explain the mental state or motivation behind an action.
Example: 手伝うつもりで声をかけた。(I offered to help with the intention of assisting.)
Subjective Belief vs. Reality
Used when there is a gap between what the speaker intended/believed and the actual result.
Example: 教えたつもりだが、伝わっていなかった。(I thought I taught them, but it didn’t get across.)
📊
Frequency
High
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N3
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N3 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N3 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
新入社員のつもりで頑張ります。
Furigana: しんにゅうしゃいんのつもりでがんばります。
Romaji: Shinnyuushain no tsumori de ganbarimasu.
English: I will work hard with the mindset of a new employee.
Example #2
貯金したつもりで、外食を我慢した。
Furigana: ちょきんしたつもりで、がいしょくをがまんした。
Romaji: Chokin shita tsumori de, gaishoku o gaman shita.
English: I refrained from eating out, acting as if I had already saved that money.
Example #3
冗談のつもりで言ったことが、彼を傷つけてしまった。
Furigana: じょうだんのつもりでいったことが、かれをきずつけてしまった。
Romaji: Joudan no tsumori de itta koto ga, kare o kizutsukete shimatta.
English: What I said as a joke ended up hurting him.
Example #4
死んだつもりで、この一年勉強する。
Furigana: しんだつもりで、このいちねんべんきょうする。
Romaji: Shinda tsumori de, kono ichinen benkyou suru.
English: I will study for this year as if my life depended on it (lit. as if I were dead).
Example #5
親切のつもりでやったのに、迷惑だと言われた。
Furigana: しんせつのつもりでやったのに、めいわくだといわれた。
Romaji: Shinsetsu no tsumori de yatta noni, meiwaku da to iwareta.
English: Even though I did it with the intention of being kind, I was told it was a nuisance.
Example #6
もう一度子供に戻ったつもりで、遊びましょう。
Furigana: もういちどこどもにもどったつもりで、あそびましょう。
Romaji: Mou ichido kodomo ni modotta tsumori de, asobimashou.
English: Let’s play as if we were children again.
Example #7
自分では隠しているつもりだが、バレている。
Furigana: じぶんではかくしているつもりだが、ばれている。
Romaji: Jibun de wa kakushite iru tsumori da ga, barete iru.
English: I think I’m hiding it well, but everyone has already found out.
Example #8
プロの料理人になったつもりで夕食を作った。
Furigana: ぷろのりょうりにんになったつもりでゆうしょくをつくった。
Romaji: Puro no ryourinin ni natta tsumori de yuushoku o tsukutta.
English: I cooked dinner with the mindset of being a professional chef.
Example #9
悪いことをしたつもりはない。
Furigana: わるいことをしたつもりはない。
Romaji: Warui koto o shita tsumori wa nai.
English: I have no intention of doing anything bad.
Example #10
捨てるつもりで整理したら、大事なものが出てきた。
Furigana: すてるつもりでせいりしたら、だいじなものがでてきた。
Romaji: Suteru tsumori de seiri shitara, daiji na mono ga detekita.
English: I started organizing with the intent of throwing things away, but I found something important.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Subjectivity
It often expresses a subjective feeling that might differ from objective reality.
Example: 分かっているつもりです。 (I believe I understand.)
Imaginary Premises
It can describe a ‘virtual’ or ‘imaginary’ action to achieve a real-world result (like saving).
Example: 買ったつもりで貯金した。 (I saved money as if I bought it.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 旅行に行くつもりで。 (Incomplete sentence if meant as a plan)
✅ 旅行に行くつもりです。 (I plan to go on a trip.)
‘Tsumori de’ is used to describe the *manner* of an action, while ‘Tsumori da’ expresses a future plan or intention.
❌ 死ぬつもりで頑張る。 (Sounds like you actually intend to die.)
✅ 死んだつもりで頑張る。 (I will work as if I were dead.)
Using the past tense (ta-form) + ‘tsumori de’ is essential for the ‘as if’ (hypothetical) meaning.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral. Can be used in polite or casual speech depending on the sentence ending.
Social Situations: Often used when someone feels misunderstood (e.g., ‘I meant it as a joke’).
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

~つもりで vs ~ように
‘~ように’ is more about appearance or objective similarity, while ‘~つもりで’ focuses on the speaker’s internal mindset.
When to use: Use ‘tsumori de’ when emphasizing the mental effort or intent.

📝 Conjugation Notes

When using ‘as if’ (pretending), the past tense (Ta-form) is most common. When expressing current intention, the dictionary form or Noun + no is used.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The ‘tsu’ sound should be crisp. The ‘de’ is a particle and should not be overly emphasized.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘Tsumori’ as ‘Intention’ and ‘De’ as ‘With’. So, ‘With the intention of…’ or ‘With the mindset of…’.

Other Grammar

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