Improved techniques are disclosed for permitting a user to employ more human-based grammar (i.e., free form or conversational input) while addressing a target system via a voice system. For example, a technique for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user comprises the following steps/operations. Decoded speech uttered by the user is obtained. An intent is then extracted from the decoded speech uttered by the user. The intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a first class is determined after a first iteration and a sub-class of the first class is determined after a second iteration. The first class and the sub-class of the first class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user, e.g., a target and data that may be associated with the target.