It means, "I have been trying to talk to you but couldn't do it till now." Hope this helps! Answer from Deleted user on hinative.com
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Quora
quora.com › Why-do-people-say-Ive-been-meaning-to-tell-you
Why do people say 'I've been meaning to tell you'? - Quora
Answer (1 of 10): It means that I have been trying to tell you and always wanted to tell you since long before, because in here, the phrase have been, is the present perfect, it refers to the influence of things that happened in the past lasts ...
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10

You want to say that in the past you formed an intention to call Jane, and that intention has persisted into the present because it has never been fulfilled. Look at your options for expressing this:

SIMPLE FORMS

I mean to call Jane.
This form describes your present intention. It says nothing about the past.

I meant to call Jane.
This form describes a completed past intention—the technical term is perfective, which is quite different from "perfect" constructions. It implies that the intention was either fulfilled or dropped. It says nothing about the present.

PROGRESSIVE FORMS

I am meaning to call Jane.
I was meaning to call Jane.
These forms are prohibited in ordinary use, because mean to is a stative verb like know, have, live, and these verbs have the progressive sense "built in". The prohibition is weaker in the past form, which may be employed to specifically exclude the perfective sense: I was meaning to call Jane, but kept forgetting. You'll occasionally find this in colloquial use instead of the perfect progressive: I was meaning to call you.

PERFECT FORMS

I have meant to call Jane.
I had meant to call Jane.
These forms describe an intention held before a present (have) or past (had) Reference Time (RT) which led to some sort of a state which obtains at RT. With mean to it is ordinarily used to cast light on a current situation by pointing to past intention, so it tends to be restricted to formal "forensic" discourse: I have meant to assail the motives of no party, or individual; and if I have, in any instance (of which I am not conscious), departed from my purpose, I regret it. — A. Lincoln.  You could use this in the present context, but the intention would be seen retrospectively, and the second clause should be recast to suit it: "I have meant to call Jane, but have repeatedly forgotten to." It would neither imply nor exclude the persistence of your intention into the present.

PERFECT PROGRESSIVE FORMS

I have been meaning to call Jane.
I had been meaning to call Jane.
These are the forms ordinarily employed in both formal and informal registers to express an intention formed before the (present or past) RT and persisting into RT. The perfect piece of the construction (have/had) expresses the existence of the intention before RT, and the progressive piece (BE -ing) expresses persistence, excluding perfectivity.

Incidentally, mean to (as opposed to bare mean) is one of a class of verbs which act as semi-auxiliaries—the to means that they take a to-infinitive.

get to
happen to
have to
seem to
tend to
turn out to
used to
be about to
be going to
be likely to
be supposed to

Each of these follows its own set of 'rules', depending on its semantic character.

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First, you are correct; in this context, 'meaning' means 'intending'.

As for the tense, we use that tense when we have been wanting to phone Jane for some time now (that's important – I've been meaning to do something implies my intent has persisted for some length of time). Furthermore, it also implies that I still haven't called her. (If I had phoned Jane already, then the verb tenses would change: I had been meaning to phone Jane, but I kept forgetting. That implies that I eventually overcame my forgetfulness and made the phone call.)

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WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › english only › english only
I've been meaning to... | WordReference Forums
October 16, 2007 - Saying this, just like saying "I was hoping or planning to talk to you," is simply a statement that you wanted to do this in the past. It does not imply that this is no longer the case.
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English Harmony
englishharmony.com › ive-been-meaning-to-never-get-around-to
English Idiomatic Expressions: “I’ve Been Meaning to… Never Get Around to…” | English Harmony
In this video you’ll learn how to use the following English idiomatic expressions: “I’ve Been Meaning to” and “Never Get Around to”
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Reverso
dictionary.reverso.net › english-definition › I've+been+meaning+to+talk+to+you
I've been meaning to talk to you definition
I've been meaning to talk to you · mean to · My Vocabulary · mean to · Translation Definition Synonyms Conjugation · 1. intention intend to do something · I mean to finish my homework tonight. 2. unintended action · USaccidentally do something · US · I didn't mean to break the vase.
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WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › french › french and english grammar / grammaire française et anglaise
EN: I've been meaning to tell you | WordReference Forums
December 26, 2008 - ... I think "I've been meaning to" implies that I still intend to do it as we speak; whereas, "I've meant to" indicates that at some point I wanted to do that, but I had forogtten about it and I just remembered it this instant
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Something_I've_Been_Meaning_to_Tell_You
Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You - Wikipedia
October 15, 2024 - Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You is a book of short stories by Alice Munro, published by McGraw-Hill (Canada) in 1974.
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Quora
quora.com › Is-I-too-have-been-meaning-to-talk-to-you-correct
Is “I too have been meaning to talk to you” correct? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): It is correct if the meaning is that a third person has already been cited in the conversation as wanting to talk to “you”. E.g. A: Hey C! I want to talk to you!
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HiNative
hinative.com › me › meaning › what does i've actually...
What is the meaning of "I've actually been meaning to talk to you about something "? - Question about English (US) | HiNative
April 30, 2019 - It could be something urgent but, either you or that person did not have the time to talk about this and so they said that they have something to talk to you about. This could also mean that they want to talk about something that is not important ...
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Goodreads
goodreads.com › book › show › 37487246-i-ve-been-meaning-to-tell-you
I've Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter by David Chariandy | Goodreads
In I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You, he intimately and lovingly addresses his 13-year-old daughter, providing her with insights, guidance, and pivotal moments of her back history as she navigates her Canadian life as an “outsider.” He writes, ...
Author   David Chariandy
Pages   128
Rating: 4.2 ​ - ​ 306 votes
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All Ears English
allearsenglish.com › home › aee 1179: have you been meaning to use more natural english?
AEE 1179: Have You Been Meaning to Use More Natural English? | All Ears English Podcast
April 25, 2023 - In this example, it may have meant that they intended to go there but they haven’t yet. It sounds like they want to go, but they haven’t yet made a plan or made it to the desired destination. So this is a phrase that shows intent or that plans are going to be made. This is a common scenario or situation that you may be talking about, and so knowing how to use the phrase “I’ve been meaning to” can be quite useful.
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Ludwig
ludwig.guru › s › i+wanted+to+talk+with+you
i wanted to talk with you | Meaning, Grammar Guide & Usage Examples | Ludwig.guru
Yes, "I wanted to speak with you" is a perfectly acceptable and often more formal alternative to "I wanted to talk with you". What are some other ways to express wanting to have a conversation? Alternatives include "I've been meaning to talk to you", "I had something I wanted to discuss with ...
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WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › english only › english only
I've been meaning to tell you something | WordReference Forums
November 4, 2022 - Click to expand... Yes. You don't have to use all day or since yesterday. Those phrases are optional. This sentence is normal: I've been meaning to tell you that Lisa wants to talk to you when you get a chance.
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Readwise
readwise.io › reader › shared › 01jnq0nw22yc5nw1c38p126hnz
I’ve Been Meaning to Call | annotated by Mark
March 6, 2025 - I’ve focused on folly. On finding my way in the world when everyone with any sense knows that the world fights you at every turn. There’s death and disease and men with too much power. There’s too much talking and not enough listening. Too many memes. Too many hot takes on social media and not enough cooler heads in congress. Still, I meant to call you.
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The Everyday Magazine
theeverydaymagazine.co.uk › opinion › ive-been-meaning-to-tell-you
I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You — The Everyday
June 14, 2022 - Back Patron Workshop: How To Pitch Everyday House Party Everyday Talks: Let's Talk The Impact of Violent Porn Everyday Talks: Intergenerational Activism Everyday Talks: Navigating Spaces from Exclusion to Safety Everyday Talks: Endometriosis Launch Party ... It’s been about 14 years since we’ve been in touch. Why did we lose touch? I honestly don’t know. We were in our early 20s and had both graduated from separate universities, and were taking tentative steps into whatever came next. Neither of us knew what lay ahead but somehow, on the walk to get there, we moved at different speeds and drifted in different directions. I sent you texts every now and again, on birthdays and when you just popped into my head.
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YouTube
youtube.com › english with ghassan
I have been meaning to do something expression in English with examples. - YouTube
AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new features · © 2024 Google LLC
Published   November 22, 2017
Views   5K
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Ludwig
ludwig.guru › s › been+meaning+to
been meaning to | English examples in context | Ludwig
"been meaning to" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when you are talking about something that you intended to do but had not done until now. Example: "I've been meaning to call my grandmother for weeks now, but I haven't gotten around to it."