Hazu datta and Tsumori datta: Explaining Plans That Went Wrong in Japanese

Hazu datta: what was supposed to happen

Hazu is a noun meaning expectation, and hazu da means something is supposed to be so based on evidence, a timetable or a promise. In the past, hazu datta is an expectation that has been tested and failed. Kuji ni kuru hazu datta means it was supposed to come at nine, and the sentence only makes sense if it did not.

The verb before hazu datta is usually the dictionary form: kuru hazu datta, it was supposed to come. Adjectives and nouns attach with na and no: benri na hazu datta, it was supposed to be convenient; yasumi no hazu datta, it was supposed to be a day off.

Because hazu datta rests on external evidence, it explains a problem without pointing at yourself: the timetable set up the expectation and reality broke it. That makes it safe at work, as long as you follow it with what you will do next.

Tsumori datta: what you meant to do

Tsumori is intention, and tsumori da means I plan to. In the past, tsumori datta means I meant to, and like hazu datta it implies the plan did not happen: denwa suru tsumori datta, I meant to call.

Tsumori datta is about your own decisions, so it carries responsibility in a way hazu datta does not. Okuru tsumori datta admits that sending was up to you, which is why it is the right word when the slip was yours: it shows the right intention without blaming the printer or the train.

The polite form is tsumori deshita. To soften it, natives add n desu ga, which turns the statement into background for the apology that follows: okuru tsumori datta n desu ga, I meant to send it, but.

Hazu ga nai: there is no way

Hazu ga nai denies that something can be the case: there is no expectation of this. Kare ga wasureru hazu ga nai means there is no way he would forget. The confidence comes from what you know of the person or the situation, not a hunch.

In disappointed-plan conversations, hazu ga nai defends an arrangement or a person. Sonna hazu wa nai, that cannot be right, is the reflex when a colleague says the meeting was cancelled, and sonna hazu wa nai n desu ga is the polite way to challenge information at a counter or on the phone.

Tsumori de: what you thought you were doing

Tsumori de is the intention as a state: thinking that, meaning to. Tasukeru tsumori de itta means I said it meaning to help. It explains the frame of mind you were in while you did something that turned out wrong: good intentions, bad results.

It is also used for things you believed were true: kagi o kaketa tsumori de ita, I was under the impression I had locked the door. The belief was sincere, the fact was different.

Tsumori de is never an excuse on its own; kaketa tsumori de ita and nothing more sounds like a shrug. Add what you found and what you will do: kaketa tsumori de ita n desu ga, aite imashita. Sugu kakunin shimasu.

Explaining what went wrong at work

A good explanation at work has three parts: what was supposed to happen or what you intended, what actually happened, and what you will do. Hazu deshita and tsumori deshita carry the first, te shimaimashita the second, a masu verb with sugu the third.

The choice between hazu and tsumori signals ownership: tsumori deshita if the slip was yours, hazu deshita if a system or another person failed. Using hazu deshita for your own slip sounds evasive.

The forms side by side

The table lines up the forms that appear when a plan fails, with the register and the point they make.

Tsumori wa nakatta denies that you meant harm: kizutsukeru tsumori wa nakatta, I had no intention of hurting you.

Apologising with hazu and tsumori

Apologies among friends are short and use noni. Iku tsumori datta noni, gomen, I meant to come, sorry, is complete: noni carries the regret and gomen the apology.

Apologies to a neighbour, a client or a manager drop noni in favour of n desu ga or masu ga. The list gives skeletons; adjust the verb to your situation.

• Missed appointment: ukagau tsumori deshita ga, kyū na yōji de ukagaemasen deshita. Mōshiwake arimasen.
• Noise complaint: shizuka ni shite iru tsumori deshita. Gomeiwaku o okake shite sumimasen.
• Late delivery: kinō todoku hazu deshita ga, mada todoite imasen. Kakunin shite gorenraku shimasu.
• Wrong information: sō kiite ita hazu na n desu ga, watashi no kakunin busoku deshita.
• Forgotten reply: henji suru tsumori de ita n desu ga, mirenai mama ni natte imashita. Shitsurei shimashita.

Each pattern ends with an apology or a next step, never with the tsumori or hazu clause itself.

Mistakes learners make with the past forms

The first mistake is using tsumori datta for someone else's intention. Tsumori describes your own mind; for other people, use yotei datta, was scheduled to, or hazu datta, unless they told you their intention.

The second is stopping at the explanation. Okuru tsumori deshita on its own sounds like the intention should count as the work. Always attach the outcome and the fix; hazu deshita too is a report, not an apology.

The third is using hazu datta for a personal slip. Watashi ga okuru hazu deshita sounds like a rota rather than an admission. Say okuru tsumori deshita ga, or simply okuru no o wasurete shimaimashita.

Finally, watch the verb tense in front. Kita hazu datta means I was sure it had come; kuru hazu datta means it was supposed to come. For a failed plan, the dictionary form is almost always what you want.