Synes, Tro, Tænke: Three Ways to Think

English uses one verb, "think," for three quite different mental acts, and Danish gives each its own word: synes is "think" in the sense of having an opinion / finding something to be a certain way; tro is "think" in the sense of believing or guessing about a matter of fact; and tænke is "think" as the mental activity itself — the process of using your mind. Pick the wrong one and you don't just sound off — you can claim to be reasoning when you mean to be judging, or to know when you mean to guess.

The quick answer

Subjective evaluation / opinion / "I find it..." → synes Belief or guess about a fact (could be true or false) → tro The cognitive process itself / "think about" → tænke (på)

A one-line heuristic: if you could replace "think" with "find" or "in my opinion," use synes. If you could replace it with "believe" or "guess," use tro. If you could replace it with "use my brain / ponder / think about," use tænke.

Synes — opinions and "finding" something to be so

Use synes when you are giving a subjective evaluation — your taste, your judgement, how something strikes you. There is no fact that could be verified; it's your view. It very often corresponds to English "I find..." or "in my opinion."

You cannot be factually "wrong" about any of these — they report taste, not knowledge. That's the signature of synes. (Grammatically, synes takes a clause: Jeg synes, (at) filmen er god.)

Tro — belief and guessing about facts

Use tro when you are stating a belief or a guess about something that is actually true or false — a matter of fact you don't have certain knowledge of. You might turn out to be right or wrong. English "I think (= I believe / I guess)" maps onto tro. The same verb also means religious "believe" and "trust (in)."

The test: could you be factually right or wrong? If yes, it's tro. "He's coming tomorrow" is either true or false in the world; your tro is your bet on it. "The film is good" is not true-or-false in the same way — that's synes.

Tænke — the act of thinking, and "thinking about"

Use tænke for the mental process — the activity of using your mind, reflecting, considering. It does not, on its own, report an opinion or a belief; it describes thinking happening. To say "think about" someone or something, use tænke på.

Notice that tænke here never delivers a verdict ("it's good") or a bet ("he'll come"); it names the mental work. Two useful particles: tænke på = have on one's mind / think about; tænke over = reflect on, mull over.

The minimal contrasts learners must feel

The hardest cases are the short answers, where English would just say "I (don't) think so." Danish forces you to choose your verb by what kind of "think" you mean:

Both are "I don't think so" in English, but they answer different questions. To Kommer han? ("Is he coming?") you reply Det tror jeg ikke — it's about a fact. To Er filmen god? ("Is the film good?") you reply Det synes jeg ikke — it's about your judgement. Using tænke here (Det tænker jeg ikke) is simply wrong; tænke doesn't deliver opinions or beliefs.

A further contrast English speakers miss: to translate "I think that..." you almost never want tænke. "I think (it's a good idea)" → Jeg synes (opinion) or Jeg tror (guess), depending on meaning — but not Jeg tænker, even though it looks like the closest word.

A note: tro as "believe/trust," synes as a passive

Two extra senses to recognise so they don't confuse you. Tro also covers "believe (someone)" and "trust in": Jeg tror på dig ("I believe in you / I trust you"); Tror du på spøgelser? ("Do you believe in ghosts?"). And synes has a separate, more formal/literary meaning "to seem/appear": Det synes umuligt ("It seems impossible") — here synes is impersonal and means "appears," not "is of the opinion." In everyday speech, the opinion sense dominates.

Common Mistakes

The classic error is reaching for tænke because it is the literal cognate of "think," when the meaning is actually opinion (synes) or belief (tro).

The cure: before "think," decide which of three things you mean — finding/opinion (synes), believing/guessing a fact (tro), or the act of thinking / thinking about (tænke). Only then choose the verb.

Decision table

Key takeaways

• synes = opinion ("I find it..."); you can't be factually wrong.
• tro = belief/guess about a fact; you can be right or wrong.
• tænke = the act of thinking; tænke på = "think about."
• "I think that..." is usually synes or tro, almost never tænke, despite the cognate.
• The two "I don't think so" answers: Det tror jeg ikke (fact) vs Det synes jeg ikke (opinion).