tänka

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See also: tanka, tanke, tenke, Tanka, tankā, and tænke

Swedish

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Etymology

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From Old Swedish þænkia, from Middle Low German denken (“to perceive, think”). While nk attests to the Low German origin, the initial t must be due to influence by some inherited cognate. This is probably either tycka (“to have an opinion”) or Old Swedish þækkia (“to seem, think”).

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (Gotland):(file)
  • Rhymes: -²ɛŋka

Verb

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

  1. to think (think to oneself, have a thought (process) in one's head) [(optionally) with på ‘about’]
    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.
    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)
    tänka länge och väl.
    think long and hard.
  2. (expressing sudden or intense thought) to think (hard, in order to solve a problem or the like) [with till]
    Vilken finurlig och praktisk lösning! Här har någon tänkt till.
    What a clever and practical solution! Someone has thought hard about this.
    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. to keep in mind, to remember, be mindful of [(optionally) with på]
    Tänk på att du aldrig får lämna ett tänt ljus
    Remember 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

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  • For think in the sense of "be of the opinion," see tycka. Compare:
    Jag tänker att pizza är gott. (an unusual thing to say in Swedish)
    I think: "Pizza is good." / I think to myself that pizza is good.
    Jag tycker att pizza är gott. (the natural way to say it)
    I think [am of the opinion that] pizza is good.
  • For think in the sense of "believe," see tro. Compare:
    Jag tänker att filmen börjar klockan åtta. (an unusual thing to say in Swedish, though it might appear in a line of reasoning or the like, similar to "Here's what I'm thinking")
    I think: "The movie starts at eight o'clock." / I think to myself that the movie starts at eight o'clock.
    Jag tror att filmen börjar klockan åtta. (the natural way to say it)
    I think [believe] the movie starts at eight o'clock.
  • 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

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Conjugation 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

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Derived terms

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See also

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References

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