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Hi all I understand that つもり means "intention" like say 夏休みにはゆっくり休むつもりです。 = I
intend to rest during the summer vacation.

But what does 分かっているつもりだ。 means?

Well if I translate directly, it seems to be "I intend to be in the know" ?

However the translation (not by me) was "I know that."

I'm just wondering how did it work out to be that way? What is the
significance of that つもり in that question?
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grammar words formal-nouns
the different usages of つもり?
The translation 'intention' is not that bad, but maybe, 'have in mind' will
work more generally.

> 夏休みにはゆっくり休むつもりです。
>
> I have in mind to take a full rest during the summer vacation.

In `分かっているつもりだ`, `つもり` is one way of making your statement accurate, and in
many cases polite. In linguistic terms, this is called a _hedge_. In this
particular case, everyone might think herself/himself is right, but they can
actually never be sure about their knowledge. If you simply say

> I understand that ...,

then it might later, for some reason, turn out that you actually haven't
understood it. In that case, you would be lying. But if, instead, you have
said

> I think I understand that ...,

then your statement remains true. The latter statement is more accurate. And
it is also polite in not saying a lie, and for being careful about your words.
It is the same thing for Japanese sentences

> 分かっている 'I know that'

vs.

> 分かっているつもりだ 'What I have in mind is I know that' or 'I think I know that'
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2011-07-09T13:19:43.073
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To the gentlemen above - it won't let me leave a comment because rep is too
low, but...

My understanding is that 思う means 'to think', where as つもり means 'to intend'.
So, you could say

りんごのほうがすしよりおいしいとおもいます。

= I think that apples are more delicious than sushi.

(my japanese is a little rough now actually.. somebody feel free to correct
the grammar there.)
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2011-07-09T20:16:35.113
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つもり also marks conviction/belief

> つもり 《積もり(P); 積り》 (n) (1) (uk) intention; plan; (2) conviction; belief; (P)

I would say: "I perfectly know that" or "that's what I figured" are good
translations for the following context:

"someone needs to restore order to the hierarchy in the village (because the
current leader is not available)". The character answers "分かっているつもりだ". He is
perfectly aware of the situation with the current leader and he knows he is
the favorite for the place of leader.
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2011-07-10T01:27:49.707
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As repecmps said, つもり can also indicate conviction or belief. So in your
example, 分かっているつもりだ means "I think I understand (but I could be wrong, or my
understanding could be incomplete)," rather than "I intend to be in the know."
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2011-07-11T17:33:48.823
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I am a Japanese woman living in Osaka.

The phrase "分かっているつもりだ" implies a situation like "no matter how you say that I
don't know about it, I believe that I know it very well".

See? If your girl friend said "hey, you don't know how I feel when you come
home late!", then you can say "I have to work! But I know your feelings
(分かっているつもりだ）".

Not only in a bad situations.

If you were a president of the US, you know the significance of your
influence. Then you can say "As for the significance of my speeches, I think I
know that very well(分かっているつもりだ）."

See?
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2011-11-21T13:04:16.567
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OK, as a Japanese native, let me explain more about it.

As repecmps mentioned, つもり has several meanings and usage depending on the
situation. I would like to give you examples of usage of つもり, to show you the
difference of nuance.

  1. 明日学校に行くつもりだ。  
I will (intend to) go to school tomorrow.

  2. a） あなたの気持ちはわかっているつもりだ。  
I believe I know your feelings well enough.

b）この会社の経営状況はわかっているつもりだ。  
I believe I know the business performance and financial situations of this
company.

c) 科学については、あなたより私のほうがわかっているつもりだ。  
I am confident that I know about science more than you do.

1) is a simple statement of a fact or intention. In case of 2-a, b and c, the
character is somehow explaining him/herself, therefore often involve some kind
of emotion, like the phrases below.

For example:

2a:

>   1. あなたの気持ちはわかっているつもりだ。だから私を信頼してほしい。 I believe I know your feelings well
> enough, so please trust me.
>
>   2. あなたの気持ちはわかっているつもりだ。でも私達は別れるしかない。 I believe I know your feelings well
> enough. But we have no choice other than breaking up.
>
>

2b:

>   1. この会社の経営状況はわかっているつもりだ。だから私が次のCEOにふさわしい。 I believe I know the business
> performance and financial situations of this company, so I think I am
> suitable for the next CEO of this company.
>
>   2. この会社の経営状況はわかっているつもりだ。だからこの投資は絶対利益になると確信している。 I believe I know the
> business performance and financial situations of this company, so I am
> perfectly positive that this investment will make an enormous benefit for
> us.
>
>

2c:

>   1. 科学については、あなたより私のほうがわかっているつもりだ。だから知ったかぶりはしないほうがいい。 I am confident that I
> know about science more than you do, so you'd better stop the know-it-all
> attitude.
>
>   2. 科学については、あなたより私のほうがわかっているつもりだ。でも日本の文化に関する知識については、あなたにはとてもかなわない。 I am
> confident that I know about science more than you do. But as for the
> knowledge of Japanese culture, I am no match to you.
>
>

Please forgive my poor English. I hope this will answer your question.

Sincerely,
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Another example of ways of using つもり：

  1. 天気についてはよく分かっている。だから明日は雪が降ると彼女に言うつもりだ。 I know about weather very well (so I can tell it will snow tomorrow), and I intend to tell her about it.

  2. 天気についてはよく分かっているつもりだ。だから明日は雪が降ると彼女に言う。 I am confident that I know about weather well enough (so I can tell it will snow tomorrow), and I will tell her about it.

I hope this can help you as well.
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