Giving your opinion is one of the first things you want to do once you can hold a conversation, and Danish has a tidy set of stock phrases for it — to state a view, to soften it, to agree, and to say "it depends." The tricky part for English speakers is not the phrases themselves but two grammatical traps hiding inside them: Danish splits English "think" into three verbs (synes, mener, tror), and the verb være enig takes a different preposition depending on whether you agree with a person or with a point. Get those two right and you will sound markedly more native.
Stating an opinion: synes, mener, tror
The default verb for "I think / in my opinion" is synes — it reports a subjective evaluation, how something strikes you. Mener is "to be of the opinion / to hold that," a shade firmer and more considered (it's what you'd use for a reasoned position). Tror is not an opinion verb at all — it means "believe / guess about a fact," so reaching for it to give an opinion is a classic error. (For the full three-way split, see choosing/synes-tro-taenke.)
Jeg synes, det er en god idé.
I think it's a good idea. (my impression / how it strikes me)
Jeg mener, at vi bør vente til næste år.
I think (hold) that we should wait until next year. (a considered position)
Personligt synes jeg, at filmen var lidt for lang.
Personally, I think the film was a bit too long.
Note the word order: when something comes before the verb (Personligt..., Det...), the subject and verb swap places — synes jeg, not jeg synes. That V2 inversion is automatic in Danish and trips up English speakers constantly.
Framing phrases: "in my opinion", "if you ask me"
Danish has several set openers that flag what follows as a personal view. They range from neutral to fairly formal.
Efter min mening er kollektiv trafik løsningen.
In my opinion, public transport is the solution. (neutral–formal)
Hvis du spørger mig, er det helt forkert.
If you ask me, that's completely wrong. (informal)
Set fra mit synspunkt giver det ikke mening.
From my point of view, it doesn't make sense. (formal/written)
Again, watch the inversion: Efter min mening *er kollektiv trafik... — the verb comes second, right after the fronted phrase. *Efter min mening is the most useful of these to memorise; it works in speech and in writing and is the closest equivalent to "in my opinion."
Agreeing: the enig i / enig med split
The verb phrase for "to agree" is være enig, and here is the single most important rule on this page. You are enig med a person, but enig i a point, statement or decision. Mixing them up is the error English speakers make most, because English just says "agree with" for both.
| You agree with... | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a person | med | Jeg er enig med dig. (I agree with you.) |
| a statement / point / decision | i | Jeg er enig i det. (I agree with that.) |
Jeg er helt enig med dig.
I completely agree with you. (with a person → med)
Det er jeg enig i.
I agree with that. (with a point → i)
Vi er enige om at mødes klokken ti.
We agree to meet at ten. (mutual agreement to do something → enige om)
That last one introduces a third member: when two or more parties mutually settle on something, the preposition is om (blive enige om = "to agree on / reach agreement about"). So: med a person, i a point, om a mutual decision. Note also that enig takes the plural form enige when the subject is plural (vi er enige).
The phrase Det er jeg enig i ("I agree with that") deserves special mention. It fronts Det for emphasis, triggers inversion (er jeg), and is one of the most common agreement phrases you will hear — learn it as a fixed block.
Stronger agreement and "you're right"
Du har ret.
You're right. (lit. 'you have right')
Det har du fuldstændig ret i.
You're absolutely right about that. (ret i — agreeing with the content)
Jeg er overbevist om, at det er den rigtige beslutning.
I'm convinced (that) it's the right decision. (formal, strong)
Notice ret also takes i when you specify what someone is right about (ret i det), mirroring the enig i logic. And overbevist ("convinced") takes om. Danish prepositions after these adjectives are not predictable from English — they must be learned per word.
The all-purpose hedge: det kommer an på
When you don't want to commit, Danish reaches for det kommer an på — "it depends (on)." It is extremely high-frequency and a sign of fluent, natural speech. The thing it depends on follows directly, with no extra preposition.
Det kommer an på vejret.
It depends on the weather.
Skal vi gå en tur? — Det kommer an på, om det regner.
Shall we go for a walk? — It depends on whether it's raining.
A close cousin is på den ene side... på den anden side ("on the one hand... on the other hand"), used to weigh two views before landing on one.
På den ene side er det dyrt, men på den anden side sparer vi tid.
On the one hand it's expensive, but on the other hand we save time.
A short dialogue
Here is how these pieces fit together in a real exchange:
A: Jeg synes, vi skal tage toget i stedet for bilen. (I think we should take the train instead of the car.) B: Det er jeg enig i. Det er billigere. (I agree with that. It's cheaper.) A: Og bedre for miljøet, efter min mening. (And better for the environment, in my opinion.) B: Du har ret. Men det kommer an på, hvornår vi skal være fremme. (You're right. But it depends on when we need to arrive.) A: På den ene side er toget langsommere, men på den anden side kan vi læse undervejs. (On the one hand the train is slower, but on the other hand we can read on the way.)
Common Mistakes
The two recurring errors both come straight from English: using "agree with" for everything (which collapses the med / i split), and using the cognate-looking verb for "think" when a different Danish verb is needed.
❌ Jeg er enig med det.
Incorrect — you agree with a point, not a person, here → enig i.
✅ Jeg er enig i det.
I agree with that.
❌ Jeg er enig i dig.
Incorrect — with a person you use med, not i.
✅ Jeg er enig med dig.
I agree with you.
❌ Jeg tror, det er en god idé.
Usually wrong for an opinion — tror means 'guess a fact'. Use synes.
✅ Jeg synes, det er en god idé.
I think it's a good idea.
❌ Efter min mening det er forkert.
Incorrect — a fronted phrase forces inversion: verb before subject.
✅ Efter min mening er det forkert.
In my opinion, it's wrong.
❌ Det kommer an på af vejret.
Incorrect — det kommer an på takes its object directly, no extra preposition.
✅ Det kommer an på vejret.
It depends on the weather.
Key takeaways
- synes = personal impression; mener = reasoned stance; tror = guessing a fact (not an opinion).
- enig med a person, enig i a point/statement, enig om a mutual decision; enig → enige in the plural.
- Du har ret, ret i det, overbevist om — each adjective fixes its own preposition; memorise them as blocks.
- Det kommer an på ("it depends") and på den ene/anden side are high-frequency hedges that make you sound fluent.
- Any fronted phrase (Personligt..., Efter min mening..., Det...) triggers V2 inversion: verb before subject.
Now practice Danish
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Start learning Danish→Related Topics
- Synes, Tro, Tænke: Three Ways to ThinkB1 — How to choose between synes (opinion), tro (belief/guess) and tænke (the mental activity) — Danish splits English 'think' three ways.
- Agreeing and DisagreeingB1 — The everyday phrases for agreeing, disagreeing and contradicting in Danish — including the enig i/med split and jo, the special yes that answers a negative.
- Yes/No QuestionsA1 — Form yes/no questions by fronting the finite verb, and answer them with ja, nej — or the special jo that contradicts a negative.
- Ikke: Placement and ScopeA1 — Where 'not' goes in Danish — after the finite verb in main clauses but before it in subordinate clauses — plus its scope, object shift, and how it negates single constituents.