おうの形, or the volitional form of verbs, expresses a speaker's volition/ intention. Vう／ようと思っています indicates that the speaker has had a particular plan or intention to do something. The verbs without volitional meanings (e.g., ある[be; exist], おちる[fall], 生まれる[be born], できる[be able to; be completed]) do not have volitional forms.
あした母にこくさい電話をかけようと思っています。
I'm thinking of giving my mother an overseas phone call tomorrow.
わたしは通訳になろうとは思っていません。
I don't plan on becoming an interpreter.
Unlike Vう／ようと思っています, Vう／ようと思います can be used to express a decision that the speaker has just made.
つもりです and Vう／ようと思っています are used in similar situations, but つもりです implies a higher degree of certainty on the part of the speaker.
| ５だんどうし / consonant-root verbs / -u verbs | |||
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| １だんどうし / vowel-root verbs / ru-verbs | |||
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| ふきそくどうし / irregular verbs | |||
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