目錄
Japanese 「〜たつもり」 expresses that the speaker believes they have already done something, while whether the actual outcome matches that belief depends on what follows. For example, the point of 「メールを送ったつもりでした」 is not to directly admit that the email was never sent. Rather, it means the speaker originally believed they had sent it, but later discovered that the situation might have been different. This pattern can appear in situations involving workplace mistakes, failed reservations, files that were not saved properly, or even cases where someone merely thought they had understood an explanation. Once you distinguish 「〜るつもり」「〜るつもりだった」「〜たつもりだった」 and 「〜たつもりで」, it becomes much easier to keep intention, subjective belief, and an assumed mindset separate.
What Does Japanese 「〜たつもり」 Mean? The Focus Is Subjective Belief, Not the Simple Past
「つもり」 originally expresses intention, purpose, or subjective belief. When it follows a verb in the た-form, as in 「verb た-form＋つもり」, the meaning becomes “subjectively believing that one has already completed an action,” although there may be a gap between that belief and reality. This is the biggest difference between 「〜たつもり」 and the simple past tense.
「送りました」 means that the email was sent. 「送ったつもりです」, on the other hand, means that the speaker believes they sent it, while also acknowledging that there may be a problem. This pattern often appears in situations such as being unable to find a file, forgetting to submit something, mistakenly believing that something was understood, or thinking that something had already been checked. It carries a slight nuance of uncertainty, reflection, or self-checking.
How to Form Japanese 「〜たつもり」: The た-Form, the ている-Form, and 「つもりで」
「〜たつもり」 follows a verb in the た-form and means “to think that one has already done something.” It can also be used with expressions of state such as 「分かったつもり」 and 「知っているつもり」, meaning that someone believes they understand or know something. Another common form is 「〜たつもりで」, which means “with the mindset that one has already…” or “as if one had already….”
| Pattern | Form | Meaning | Example |
| Verb た-form＋つもり | 送ったつもり | Think one has already done something | 送ったつもりでした |
| Understanding verb＋たつもり | 分かったつもり | Think one understands | 分かったつもりです |
| 〜たつもりで | 終わったつもりで | Act as if it were already finished | 終わったつもりで確認する |
| Contrastive form | Verb dictionary form＋つもり | Intend to do something | 送るつもりです |
Usage ① of 「〜たつもり」｜The Speaker Believes the Action Is Complete, but the Actual Result May Be Different
The most common use of 「〜たつもり」 is to express that the speaker believed they had already finished something, but later discovered that it might not actually have been completed, succeeded, or reached the other person. Sentences like this often carry a nuance of checking, apologizing, or reflecting on what happened. The focus is not on the action objectively being complete, but on the speaker’s subjective belief that it was complete.
- Example: メールを送ったつもりでした。
Kana: メールを おくったつもりでした。
Translation: I thought I had already sent the email.
This sentence implies that the email may not actually have been sent, or that the other person may not have received it. - Example: 予約したつもりでしたが、記録がありませんでした。
Kana: よやくしたつもりでしたが、きろくが ありませんでした。
Translation: I thought I had made a reservation, but there was no record of it.
「予約したつもり」 means that the speaker believed the reservation had been completed, but the actual result was different. - Example: 資料を保存したつもりでした。
Kana: しりょうを ほぞんしたつもりでした。
Translation: I thought I had saved the materials.
This is commonly used when a file has gone missing or an操作 error occurred, and it carries a reflective nuance.
Usage ② of 「〜たつもり」｜Thinking You Understand or Know Something When Your Understanding May Be Superficial
「分かったつもり」 and 「知っているつもり」 are often used when someone subjectively believes they understand or know something, even though their actual understanding may be incomplete. This usage is common in learning, workplace handovers, technical explanations, and review situations. It often carries a cautionary implication: do not stop at merely thinking that you understand.
- Example: 説明を聞いて、分かったつもりになっていました。
Kana: せつめいを きいて、わかったつもりに なっていました。
Translation: After hearing the explanation, I thought I understood it.
「分かったつもり」 expresses subjective understanding and may imply that the speaker later realized their understanding was insufficient. - Example: ルールを知っているつもりでした。
Kana: ルールを しっているつもりでした。
Translation: I thought I knew the rules.
This sentence often implies that the speaker had actually overlooked part of the rules. - Example: 練習したつもりでも、本番ではうまくできませんでした。
Kana: れんしゅうしたつもりでも、ほんばんでは うまく できませんでした。
Translation: Even though I thought I had practiced enough, I still could not do it well in the actual performance.
「練習したつもり」 means that the speaker believed they had prepared sufficiently, but the result revealed a gap between that belief and reality.
Usage ③ of 「〜たつもりで」｜Acting as If Something Has Already Happened, with a Particular Mindset
「〜たつもりで」 can also mean “as if something had already happened” or “with the mindset that something had already happened.” In this case, it does not necessarily express a misunderstanding. Instead, it establishes a psychological assumption. It is commonly used in encouragement, checking, starting over, or hypothetical situations. The focus is on adopting a certain assumed mindset before carrying out the following action.
- Example: 一度失敗したつもりで、最初から確認しましょう。
Kana: いちど しっぱいしたつもりで、さいしょから かくにんしましょう。
Translation: Let’s act as if we had already failed once and check everything again from the beginning.
Here, 「失敗したつもりで」 creates a cautious mindset for checking the work. - Example: 初めて聞いたつもりで、もう一度説明を読みます。
Kana: はじめて きいたつもりで、もういちど せつめいを よみます。
Translation: I will read the explanation again as if I were hearing it for the first time.
This is not a misunderstanding. Instead, the speaker deliberately puts themselves back into the mindset of encountering the information for the first time. - Example: 完成したつもりで提出する前に、必ず見直します。
Kana: かんせいしたつもりで ていしゅつするまえに、かならず みなおします。
Translation: Even if I feel that it is finished, I always review it before submitting it.
「完成したつもりで」 reminds us that a subjective sense of completion is not the same as being objectively error-free.
What Is the Difference Between 「〜たつもり」 and 「〜るつもり」?
「〜るつもり」 expresses an intention to do something in the future, while 「〜たつもり」 expresses the subjective belief that something has already been done. The two differ only in tense, but their meanings are completely different. Beginners often memorize 「つもり」 simply as “intend to,” which makes it difficult to understand the gap in perception expressed by 「送ったつもり」.
| Comparison | 〜るつもり | 〜たつもり | Common Mistake |
| Time reference | Future | Subjective belief about a completed past action | Translating both as “intend to” |
| Core meaning | Intend to do | Think one has done | Missing the gap in perception |
| Example | 送るつもりです | 送ったつもりです | Misunderstanding the tense |
| Nuance | Plan, intention | Reflection, checking, uncertainty | Treating it as a simple past tense |
▌「〜るつもり」｜A Present or Future Intention
❌ Incorrect usage: 明日メールを送ったつもりです。
✅ Natural: 明日メールを送るつもりです。
Sending the email tomorrow is a future intention, so the dictionary form 「送るつもり」 is used.
▌「〜るつもりだった」｜Originally Intended to Do Something but May Not Have Done It
❌ Different meaning: 昨日メールを送ったつもりでした。
✅ Natural: 昨日メールを送るつもりでしたが、忙しくて送れませんでした。
If you want to say that you originally intended to send the email but ultimately did not, use the dictionary form 「送る」 with 「つもりでした」. 「送ったつもりでした」 instead means that you thought you had already sent it. The two expressions therefore describe a past plan and a past subjective belief, respectively.
▌Meaning of 「送ったつもりでした」: I Thought I Had Already Sent It
❌ Different meaning: メールを送るつもりでした。
✅ Natural: メールを送ったつもりでした。
If you want to say that you thought you had already sent it, use the た-form 「送ったつもり」.
▌What Is the Difference Between 「提出しました」 and 「提出したつもりです」?
❌ Unnecessary: 資料を提出したつもりです。確認済みです。
✅ Natural: 資料を提出しました。確認済みです。
If you have already confirmed objectively that the submission was completed, the simple past is clearer. Using 「つもり」 introduces subjective uncertainty.
How Is 「〜たつもり」 Used in Business Japanese? Emails, Rules, and Submission Situations
「〜たつもり」 is useful in Japanese workplaces and everyday life because it allows you to express, somewhat indirectly, that you subjectively believed something had been completed even though there may have been a problem with the actual result. Compared with directly saying 「忘れました」, 「送ったつもりでした」 is closer to explaining the thought process behind how the misunderstanding occurred. However, when formally taking responsibility, it is still important to follow it with a concrete action such as checking or correcting the issue.
▌Situation ①｜An Email Was Not Received: 「送ったつもりでした」
A：昨日のメールが届いていないようです。
きのうの メールが とどいていないようです。
It looks like yesterday’s email did not arrive.
B：送ったつもりでした。すぐ確認します。
おくったつもりでした。すぐ かくにんします。
I thought I had sent it. I’ll check right away.
📌 Grammar Point: 「送ったつもり」 means that the speaker subjectively believes the action was completed, while the actual result still needs to be checked.
▌Situation ②｜Insufficient Understanding of a Rule: 「分かったつもりでした」
A：この手順は前回説明しましたね。
この てじゅんは ぜんかい せつめいしましたね。
We explained this procedure last time, didn’t we?
B：分かったつもりでしたが、もう一度確認します。
わかったつもりでしたが、もういちど かくにんします。
I thought I understood it, but I’ll check it again.
📌 Grammar Point: 「分かったつもり」 carries a reflective nuance of acknowledging that one’s understanding was insufficient.
▌Situation ③｜Reviewing Before Submission: 「完成したつもりでも」
A：もう完成しましたか。
もう かんせいしましたか。
Is it already finished?
B：完成したつもりでも、提出前に必ず見直します。
かんせいしたつもりでも、ていしゅつまえにかならずみなおします。
Even if I think it is finished, I always review it before submitting it.
📌 Grammar Point: 「完成したつもり」 expresses a subjective sense of completion, so following it with another check is natural.
Cultural Notes:
- 「〜たつもり」 is often used to soften the degree of assertion and leave open the possibility that something was not checked thoroughly enough.
- In workplace situations, if you use 「つもり」 to explain a mistake, it is better to follow it with a concrete action such as 「確認します」 or 「修正します」.
- 「分かったつもり」 is commonly used in reflective learning or training contexts to warn against mistaking superficial understanding for genuine mastery.
How Does Japanese 「〜たつもり」 Compare with Korean 「-ㄴ/은 줄 알았다」?
◆ Similar Grammar: Korean 「-ㄴ/은 줄 알았다」
The Korean pattern 「-ㄴ/은 줄 알았다」 often means “thought that…” or “thought one had already…,” and it can correspond to the mistaken-belief nuance of Japanese 「〜たつもりだった」. However, Japanese 「つもり」 places stronger emphasis on subjective belief or psychological state, while Korean 「줄 알았다」 more directly expresses the belief that a certain fact was true.
- Example: 메일을 보낸 줄 알았어요.
Romanization: me-i-reul bo-naen jul a-ra-sseo-yo
Translation: I thought I had already sent the email.
This is close to Japanese 「メールを送ったつもりでした」. - Example: 예약한 줄 알았는데 기록이 없었어요.
Romanization: ye-yak-han jul a-ran-neun-de gi-ro-gi eop-seo-sseo-yo
Translation: I thought I had made a reservation, but there was no record of it.
Korean uses 「줄 알았는데」 to express a mismatch between what someone believed and the actual situation. - Example: 다 이해한 줄 알았어요.
Romanization: da i-hae-han jul a-ra-sseo-yo
Translation: I thought I understood everything.
This can correspond to Japanese 「全部分かったつもりでした」.
◆ Core Difference from 「〜たつもり」:
Japanese 「〜たつもり」 emphasizes the speaker’s subjective belief that something has already been completed or understood, whereas Korean 「-ㄴ/은 줄 알았다」 emphasizes that the speaker originally believed a certain fact to be true. When translating, you need to determine from the context whether the focus is on a psychological belief or simply on mistakenly assuming that something was factually the case.
What really matters with Japanese 「〜たつもり」 is the speaker’s position of awareness. 「送るつもり」 means intending to send something, 「送るつもりだった」 means having originally intended to send it, and 「送ったつもりだった」 means that the speaker believed at the time that it had already been sent. 「〜たつもりで」, meanwhile, is often used when treating something that has not actually happened as though it already had, as in 「買ったつもりで貯金する」. When you encounter these forms, first check whether the sentence is talking about a plan, a subjective belief, or an assumed mindset. That usually makes the meaning much easier to distinguish.
FAQs
「〜たつもり」 means that the speaker subjectively believes they have already done something, although it may not actually have been completed. It often carries a nuance of a mismatch in perception or reflection.
「〜るつもり」 expresses an intention to do something in the future, while 「〜たつもり」 means thinking that something has already been done. The former is a plan; the latter is a subjective belief.
No. 「送った」 means that something was objectively sent, while 「送ったつもりです」 means that the speaker believes it was sent but may still need to verify what actually happened.
「分かったつもり」 means thinking that you understand something even though your understanding may only be superficial. It is often used in reflection, warnings, or learning reviews.
「〜たつもりで」 means acting as if something had already happened or adopting that mindset. For example, 「失敗したつもりで確認する」 means checking something again with the caution you would have if you had already failed once.