Meaning
〜つもりで expresses treating a situation as if it were true or real, even though it isn't actually the case. It's used to describe someone's mindset or approach toward doing something by pretending or assuming a certain condition. The pattern connects to verbs in past tense, i-adjectives, na-adjectives with な, or nouns with の.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| 動詞（た形） | つもりで |
| い形容词 | つもりで |
| な形容词 な | つもりで |
| 名词 の | つもりで |
Examples
-
みんな、今日の練習は明日の本番の試合のつもりで気合を入れよう。
Everyone, let's put our full effort into today's practice by treating it as tomorrow's actual match. -
もうすぐ40歳を迎えるけど、私はまだまだ若いつもりでいたいんだ。
I'm about to turn 40, but I still want to think of myself as young. -
死んだつもりでやれば、なんだってできる。
If you approach it as though you're risking your life, you can accomplish anything.
Summary
- つもりで creates a hypothetical mindset or approach, not describing reality
- Used when treating something as-if for the purpose of motivation or effort
- The situation described is not actual fact, but an assumed condition to shape one's attitude