Lesson 74: Plans and Intentions
Before you reach the full future tense, you can already talk about what you intend to do with two handy patterns: “I’m planning to…” and “I’m about to…”.
Summer plans
מָה אַתָּה מְתַכְנֵן לַקַּיִץ?
ma ata metachnen lakayitz?
What are you planning for the summer?
אֲנִי מִתְכַּנֵּן לִנְסֹעַ לְיָוָן.
ani mitkanen linso’a leyavan.
I’m planning to travel to Greece.
נֶהְדָּר! לְבַד?
nehedar! levad?
Wonderful! Alone?
לֹא, עִם חֲבֵרִים. אֲנַחְנוּ עוֹמְדִים לְהַזְמִין כַּרְטִיסִים מָחָר.
lo, im chaverim. anachnu omdim lehazmin kartisim machar.
No, with friends. We’re about to book tickets tomorrow.
אֵיזֶה כֵּיף!
eize keif!
How fun!
Grammar: “planning to” and “about to”
Both patterns use a present-tense verb + an infinitive, so they’re easy to build:
- מְתַכְנֵן / מְתַכְנֶנֶת (metachnen / metachnenet, “planning”, m. / f.) + infinitive — a deliberate plan.
- עוֹמֵד / עוֹמֶדֶת (omed / omedet, literally “standing”) + infinitive — about to, on the verge of doing it.
So אֲנִי מִתְכַּנֵּן לִנְסֹעַ is “I plan to travel”, while אֲנִי עוֹמֵד לִנְסֹעַ is “I’m about to travel”. Both agree with the speaker in gender and number.
Tip: For something happening shortly, add בְּקָרוֹב (bekarov, “soon”): אֲנַחְנוּ נוֹסְעִים בְּקָרוֹב — “we’re traveling soon”.
Vocabulary
Intentions
| לְתַכְנֵן | letachnen | to plan |
| מְתַכְנֵן | metachnen | planning (to) |
| עוֹמֵד לְ | omed le | about to, going to |
| מַטָּרָה | matara | goal, aim |
Useful words
| בְּקָרוֹב | bekarov | soon |
| לְבַד | levad | alone |
| כַּרְטִיס | kartis | ticket; card |