tänka

Swedish

Etymology

From 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

• audio (Gotland)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -²ɛŋka

Verb

tänka (present tänker, preterite tänkte, supine tänkt, imperative tänk)

1. (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 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 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 the movie starts at eight o'clock (the natural way to say it)

   tänka länge och väl

   think long and hard ("well" – idiomatic)

2. (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

3. (with på) to keep in mind (be aware of)

   Tänk på att du aldrig får lämna ett tänt ljus

   Keep in mind that you must never leave a lit candle

4. to intend to, to plan on, to mean

   Jag tänker åka utomlands på semestern

   I plan to go abroad for my vacation

5. (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?

6. (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

• 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

Synonyms

• (think) fundera, grubbla, grunna
• (intend) mena, ämna, avse

Derived terms

• (think) tänk, tänka efter, tänka om, tänka ut, tänkare, tänkarpanna, tänkebok, tänkespråk, tänkesätt, tänkvärd, tänkvärdhet
• (intend) tänkbar, tänkbarhet

Related terms

• betänka
• tanke

See also

• åtanke

References

• tänka in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• tänka in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• tänka in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)