watasi ha sono haiyuu ni intabyuusuru tumori desu.

I plan to interview that actor.

Breakdown of watasi ha sono haiyuu ni intabyuusuru tumori desu.

• は: topic particle
• です: to be
• 私わたし: I
• に: indirect object particle
• その: that
• つもり: intention; plan
• 俳優はいゆう: actor
• インタビュー を する: to interview

Questions & Answers about watasi ha sono haiyuu ni intabyuusuru tumori desu.

What does は do in 私は here? How is it different from が?

は marks the topic of the sentence: what you’re talking about.

• 私は = “As for me / speaking about me, …”
• Using が (私が) would strongly mark I as the grammatical subject, often in contrast to someone else, like “I’m the one who will interview (not someone else).”

In a simple neutral sentence like this, 私は is the natural, default way to say “I” as the topic.

Why is it その俳優に and not その俳優を? I thought the person you act on usually takes を.

With インタビューする, the person you interview is treated as the target of the action and takes に, not を.

• X に インタビューする = interview X (direct target/person)
• Very natural: その俳優にインタビューする

You may occasionally see X をインタビューする, but it’s felt less standard or influenced by English. More natural patterns are:

• その俳優にインタビューする
• その俳優のインタビューをする (“do that actor’s interview”)

So in your sentence, に is the best choice.

Why is it インタビューするつもりです and not インタビューしますつもりです?

つもり always follows the dictionary/plain form of a verb, not the polite -ます form.

Pattern:

• [dictionary form verb] ＋ つもりです

So:

• インタビューするつもりです ✅
• インタビューしますつもりです ❌ (ungrammatical)

Other examples:

• 行くつもりです (I intend to go)
• 勉強するつもりです (I intend to study)

What nuance does つもりです add compared to just インタビューします?

Both can point to a future action, but the nuance is different:

• インタビューします。
  = “I will interview / I’m going to interview.”
  → Stating a plan or decision, but neutral about whether this is just scheduled or personally intended.

• インタビューするつもりです。
  = “I intend to interview / I’m planning to interview.”
  → Focuses on your personal intention/will. It sounds more like “That’s what I mean to do.”

So つもりです emphasizes intention rather than just a factual plan.

If Japanese doesn’t have a future tense, how does this sentence express the future?

Japanese uses present forms plus context/expressions to show future meaning. Here:

• The verb is in plain present: インタビューする
• Combined with つもりです (“intend”), it clearly refers to a future action.

So インタビューするつもりです = “I intend to interview (in the future).”
No special future tense ending is used; the intention phrase itself gives the future meaning.

Can I drop 私 and just say その俳優にインタビューするつもりです?

Yes, and that’s often more natural.

Japanese usually omits the subject (I, you, etc.) when it’s obvious from context. You’d keep 私 when:

• You need to contrast:
  私はその俳優にインタビューするつもりです。
  (As for me, I intend to interview that actor — maybe others don’t.)
• The subject might be unclear without it.

In many everyday situations, その俳優にインタビューするつもりです alone is plenty clear as “I intend to interview that actor.”

What’s the difference between その俳優 and あの俳優 here?

Both can translate as “that actor,” but:

• その俳優

  • “That actor (you know which one I mean).”
  • Often used when the actor has already been mentioned in the conversation, or is somehow part of the shared context (e.g., a picture you’re looking at together, an actor in a document you’re both reading).

• あの俳優

  • “That actor (over there / that famous person / that one we can both identify in the world).”
  • Often used for someone physically distant or a well‑known public figure you can both picture.

In many real contexts both can be acceptable, but その tends to feel more “contextually given,” while あの can feel more like “that (out there).”

What exactly is つもり? Is it a verb, an auxiliary, or something else?

つもり is originally a noun meaning “intention” or “plan.” Grammatically:

• インタビューするつもり
  = literally “an intention to interview”

Then です is the copula (“is”), so:

• インタビューするつもりです。
  = “(It) is the intention to interview” → “I intend to interview.”

Because it behaves as a noun, it can also take particles:

• インタビューするつもりはありません。
  = “I have no intention of interviewing (him/her).”

How is つもり different from 予定 or ～たい?

They all talk about the future but with different focus:

1. ～つもりです – intention

   • Focus: your will/decision
   • その俳優にインタビューするつもりです。
     → I intend to interview that actor.

2. ～予定です – schedule/plan

   • Focus: arrangements, schedule, external plan
   • その俳優にインタビューする予定です。
     → I’m scheduled / I’m planned to interview that actor.
     (sounds a bit more official/scheduled)

3. ～たいです – desire/want

   • Focus: your desire
   • その俳優にインタビューしたいです。
     → I want to interview that actor (but it might not be arranged).

Your sentence with つもりです is about what you intend to do, regardless of whether it’s fully scheduled yet.

What politeness level is インタビューするつもりです? How would it look in casual speech?

つもりです with です is polite (standard polite form).

• Polite:
  インタビューするつもりです。

Casual/plain speech:

• インタビューするつもりだ。 (plain, neutral)
• To make it softer or more conversational:
  インタビューするつもりなんだ。

You’d use です/ます in normal conversations with people you’re not close to, in workplaces, etc., and drop to だ／なんだ with friends or family.

Is インタビューする the most natural way to say “interview (someone)” in Japanese?

It’s natural and common, especially in media contexts, because インタビュー is a loanword.

Patterns:

• その俳優にインタビューする – interview that actor
• その俳優にインタビューします – polite form
• その俳優にインタビューをする – also possible; a bit more “noun + する” style

There are also more “native” words:

• 取材する – to cover/report on (for media).
  その俳優を取材するつもりです。

But for directly asking questions in an “interview” format, インタビューする is very standard.

How do you pronounce 俳優 and つもり?

• 俳優

  • Reading: はいゆう (hai-yuu)
  • Meaning: actor (generally gender‑neutral in modern usage)

• つもり

  • Reading: つもり (tsu-mo-ri)

So the whole core phrase is:

• インタビューするつもりです
  → intabyū suru tsumori desu (approximated in romaji: intabyuu suru tsumori desu).