Plan Doing vs. Plan To Do
For an intended action, “plan to do” is standard. “Plan on doing” is also documented, with the gerund licensed by the preposition “on,” so it should not be simplified into a bare plan-doing versus plan-to-do choice.
Use “plan to do” for an intended action. “Plan on doing” is also standard, but the -ing form follows “on”; bare “plan doing” is not the same construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| state an intended future action | plan + to-infinitive | Use “plan to do.” |
| intend or expect an action with the documented prepositional construction | plan on + -ing | Keep “on” before the -ing form. |
| bare “plan + -ing” presented as the parallel complement | plan doing | Do not treat this as equivalent to the two documented patterns. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you stating an intended action directly after “plan”?
If yes: Use “plan to + verb.”
If no: If you choose the -ing construction, use the documented “plan on + -ing” pattern rather than dropping “on.”
Examples
We plan to leave early.
The to-infinitive states the intended action.
We plan on leaving early.
The -ing form is licensed by the preposition “on.”
Further guidance
Decision
Prefer plan to do or plan on doing according to the sentence; do not substitute bare plan doing as though the forms were parallel.
Preposition Pattern
Plan on + -ing is also standard for intending or expecting an action; keep the preposition because it is part of the construction.
To Infinitive
Use plan + to-infinitive to state an intended future action.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- plan — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Plan to do and plan on doing patterns
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences