Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 4: 5/18

う・よう + と(おも)

I think I will, I think I shall, Going to, Gonna (Volitional + と思う)

Structure

Verb[おう] + (おも)(1)

(1) (おも)っている

Details

  • Register

    Standard

About 〜ようと思う・〜おうと思う

The combination of a verb with the auxiliary verb , or よう, followed by the う-Verb (おも)う gives us the common expression ようと(おも). This expression is often translated as 'I think I will (A)', or 'I shall (A)'. It is also close to the casual expression 'I'm gonna (A)'.

Remembering that and よう can have one of three possible meanings in Japanese (as discussed in the よう grammar point), ようと(おも) is usually only used to express one of those three. That 'one' is as follows:

意志(いし) - Expresses intentions (has a similar meaning to ~するつもりだ).

This expression is also often used with (おも)っている. In these cases, it highlights that the intention of the speaker is something that they regularly think, or have been thinking about for some time.

(おも)っている may also be used when describing the intentions of another person, as discussed in our lesson about (おも).

Caution

Let's be careful to remember the difference between the auxiliary verbs よう, and ようだ. They are different constructions that have different meanings, and behave in unique ways grammatically.

Examples

--:--

    明日(あした)勉強(べんきょう)しようと(おも)

    I think I will study tomorrow.

    来年(らいねん)(いえ)()おうと(おも)

    I think I will buy a house next year.

    (かえ)てから、お菓子(かし)()べようと(おも)います

    I think I will eat candy after returning home.

    今日(きょう)から文法(ぶんぽう)勉強(べんきょう)(はじ)めようと(おも)

    I think I will start studying grammar from today.

    息子(むすこ)レゴ()しがっているから()ってあげようと(おも)

    My son wants lego, so I think I will buy him some.

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

〜ようと思う・〜おうと思う – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

  • fdiotalevi

    fdiotalevi

    Is this structure used informally only (like the volitional form alone), or can it be used in a formal context as well?

  • mrnoone

    mrnoone

    @fdiotalevi

    Hey and welcome to the community forums!

    ようと思う can be used in formal and casual circumstances. So you can use it when talking to your superior at work, or to someone you don’t know.

    Remember about polite ます though
    Also, when you want to talk about plans of 3rd person, you should use ようと思っている(ようと思っています) rather than ようと思う.

    I hope it helps,
    Cheers!

  • steffuld

    steffuld

    I’ve just come across such sentence

    飲酒をやめようと思った一番の理由は何ですか?
    What was the main reason you decided to stop drinking alcohol?

    Maybe this grammar point focuses too much on first person sentences, because it never occurred to me that it can be used like that before.

    Now, it looks like there’s definitely some kind of connection between 〜ようと思う and ~ようとする. Interesting!

Got questions about 〜ようと思う・〜おうと思う? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion