Intending

Intending is the present participle of the verb intend. It denotes the mental act of planning or aiming to perform a future action. In ordinary use, “I am intending to start a new project next week” signals a current plan that has not yet been realized. The construction is typically followed by a to-infinitive: intend to do something. In more formal writing, sentences can be formed with “intending to” to express a stated aim, though “intending that” is rarer and tends to appear in formal or legal contexts.

Intention is the related noun that names the aim itself; intending refers to the process or state of planning. The distinction matters in law, philosophy, and psychology: intention can justify actions, while intending describes the agent’s attitude during deliberation. “I intend to quit” expresses a commitment; “I am intending to quit” emphasizes the ongoing planning stage. Intent, as a broader term, may be used to express a purpose or design and is sometimes distinguished from mere desire or hope.

In philosophy, intending is a form of intentionality—the mind’s aboutness toward future actions or objects. The study of intention examines how intentions motivate behavior, how they relate to reasons, and how they withstand changes in information or circumstance. In practical use, intentions are subject to revision as new data emerge; thus, stating an intention conveys commitment without guaranteeing outcome. Language choices, such as “intend” versus “plan” or “aim,” reflect differences in certainty, scope, and expectations of action.