つもりだった

The grammar structure つもりだった expresses two related but distinct meanings, both involving a gap between what someone thought or planned and what actually happened.

Meaning 1: Was planning to / Was intending to (but didn't)

When used with the plain non-past form of a verb, つもりだった indicates that someone had intended to do something but ultimately did not follow through. The past tense だった signals that the intention itself is now in the past – implying the plan was abandoned or failed.

This usage often appears with contrasting conjunctions like が, けど, or のに to explicitly state what went wrong.

Meaning 2: I thought I had / I believed I was (but was wrong)

When used with the plain past form of a verb, or with adjectives and nouns (+ の/だった), つもりだった expresses that the speaker believed something to be the case, but it turned out not to be true. It conveys a mistaken assumption or self-perception.

This usage carries a nuance of surprise or disappointment at discovering the gap between one's belief and reality.

Key distinction from つもりだ

While つもりだ expresses a current intention or belief, つもりだった places that intention or belief in the past, strongly implying that circumstances have changed. Compare: