tänka
Swedish
editEtymology
editFrom Old Swedish þænkia, from Middle Low German denken (“to perceive, think”). Old Swedish þækkia (“to seem, think”) has the same Proto-Germanic origin but lacks a descendant in modern Swedish.
Pronunciation
editVerb
edittänka (present tänker, preterite tänkte, supine tänkt, imperative tänk)
- (with på (“on”) corresponding to about) to think (think to oneself, have a thought (process) in one's head)
- Vad tänker du på?
- What are you thinking about?
- Jag satt där och tänkte på vad som hade hänt igår
- I sat there and thought about what had happened yesterday
- Jag tänker att pizza är gott
- I think: "Pizza is good" / I think to myself that pizza is good (to illustrate the difference between tänka and tycka – an unusual thing to say in Swedish as well)
- Jag tycker att pizza är gott
- I think [am of the opinion that] pizza is good (the natural way to say it)
- När jag hörde det så tänkte jag genast att det inte skulle fungera, men jag sa ingenting
- When I heard it, I immediately thought [to myself] that it wouldn't work, but I didn't say anything ("... så tyckte jag genast ..." instead corresponds to "... I immediately was of the opinion that it wouldn't work," which is a less common way to phrase it)
- Jag tänker att filmen börjar klockan åtta
- I think: "The movie starts at eight o'clock" / I think to myself that the movie starts at eight o'clock (to illustrate the difference between tänka and tro – an unusual thing to say in Swedish as well (though it might appear in a line of reasoning or the like, similar to "Here's what I'm thinking"))
- Jag tror att filmen börjar klockan åtta
- I think [believe] the movie starts at eight o'clock (the natural way to say it)
- tänka länge och väl
- think long and hard ("well" – idiomatic)
- (with till (expressing sudden (intense) thought)) to think (hard, in order to solve a problem or the like)
- Vilken finurlig och praktisk lösning! Här har någon tänkt till.
- What a clever and practical solution! Someone has thought this through. ("Here someone has done some thinking," ish)
- Den här olyckan får förhoppningsvis många att tänka till och ta det försiktigare
- This accident will hopefully make many people think and be more careful
- (with på) to keep in mind, to remember (be mindful of)
- Tänk på att du aldrig får lämna ett tänt ljus
- Remember that you must never leave a lit candle
- to intend to, to plan on, to mean
- Jag tänker åka utomlands på semestern
- I plan to go abroad for my vacation
- (reflexive) to have on one's mind, to have as a (preconceived) plan
- Vilken färg har ni tänkt er på huset?
- Which color do you have in mind for the house?
- (reflexive) to consider as viable
- Jag skulle aldrig någonsin kunna tänka mig att måla huset i en sådan knallrosa färg!
- I could never consider painting the house in such a sharp pink color!
Usage notes
edit- For think in the sense of "be of the opinion," see tycka. For think in the sense of "believe," see tro.
- Regarding the sense of "to intend" or "to mean", tänka is the main option signifying a setup plan, while mena (somewhat more colloquial) signifies what are the immediate consequences. For example: "I didn't mean to knock your teeth out" = "Jag menade inte att slå ut dina tänder" (or, alternatively, "Det var inte meningen att slå ut dina tänder"). Here, a translation with tänka ("Jag tänkte inte ...") may give the impression of "I didn't plan to knock out your teeth."
Conjugation
editConjugation of tänka (weak)
Active | Passive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Infinitive | tänka | tänkas | ||
Supine | tänkt | tänkts | ||
Imperative | tänk | — | ||
Imper. plural1 | tänken | — | ||
Present | Past | Present | Past | |
Indicative | tänker | tänkte | tänks, tänkes | tänktes |
Ind. plural1 | tänka | tänkte | tänkas | tänktes |
Subjunctive2 | tänke | tänkte | tänkes | tänktes |
Participles | ||||
Present participle | tänkande | |||
Past participle | tänkt | |||
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. |
Synonyms
editDerived terms
edit- (think) tänk, tänka efter, tänka om, tänka ut, tänkare, tänkarpanna, tänkebok, tänkespråk, tänkesätt, tänkvärd, tänkvärdhet
- (intend) tänkbar, tänkbarhet
Related terms
editSee also
editReferences
editCategories:
- Swedish terms derived from Old Saxon
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Swedish terms inherited from Old Swedish
- Swedish terms derived from Old Swedish
- Swedish terms derived from Middle Low German
- Swedish terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Swedish/²ɛŋka
- Rhymes:Swedish/²ɛŋka/2 syllables
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish verbs
- Swedish terms with usage examples
- Swedish reflexive verbs
- Swedish weak verbs