Synes | Danish Grammar

Synes is how Danish says "I think" when you mean "that's my opinion / that's how I find it" — a subjective evaluation, not a guess about facts and not a belief. It is a deponent verb: it ends in -s in every form but is not passive in meaning. And it carries a notorious spelling trap — present synes vs past syntes differ by a single letter, and even native Danes mix them up. Get the meaning, the -s shape, and the spelling straight, and you have one of the most-used verbs in everyday Danish.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Past	Past participle	Imperative
(at) synes	synes	syntes	syntes	— (none)

Synes is a deponent -s verb: the -s is part of the verb's identity, not the passive marker (see verbs/deponent-s-verbs). It has no imperative — you can't command someone to hold an opinion. Note that the present and the infinitive are identical (synes), and the past and past participle are identical (syntes).

💡

Danish verbs never change for person or number. Jeg synes, du synes, han synes, vi synes, de synes — one present form for everyone; syntes in the past for everyone.

💡

The one-letter trap: present synes (with e) vs past syntes (with t). Present opinion → synes; past opinion → syntes. Many native speakers get this wrong in writing, so getting it right marks you as careful.

Present: synes — your current opinion

The default frame is synes (at) + a clause: "I find that / in my opinion...". The at ("that") is usually optional in speech and often dropped; a comma separates the clauses in writing.

Jeg synes, (at) filmen var god.

I think (in my opinion) the film was good.

Hvad synes du om den nye chef?

What do you think of the new boss? (asking for an opinion)

Vi synes, det er for dyrt.

We think it's too expensive. (our evaluation)

Past: syntes — your opinion at the time

Jeg syntes, koncerten var lidt kedelig.

I thought (found) the concert a bit boring.

Hun syntes ikke, det var en god idé.

She didn't think it was a good idea.

Present perfect: har syntes

The auxiliary is have, and the participle is syntes — so the perfect har syntes is spelled like the simple past. It describes an opinion held over a stretch of time.

Jeg har altid syntes, at han var lidt arrogant.

I've always thought he was a bit arrogant.

synes om — to like / have a view on

With the particle om, synes means "like / have an opinion about". Synes godt om = "like", synes dårligt om = "dislike". This is a slightly more formal or considered "like" than kunne lide.

Jeg synes godt om den nye sofa.

I like the new sofa. (I think well of it — affirmative 'like' wants godt)

Hvordan synes du om Aarhus?

How do you find Aarhus? / What do you make of Aarhus?

Han synes ikke rigtig om planen.

He's not really keen on the plan.

The impersonal short answer: Det synes jeg

To answer "do you think so?" Danish fronts det ("that / so") and says Det synes jeg — "I think so" / "(yes,) in my view". The negative is Det synes jeg ikke ("I don't think so").

— Er filmen værd at se? — Det synes jeg.

— Is the film worth seeing? — I think so / Yes, in my view.

— Var det for meget? — Det synes jeg ikke.

— Was it too much? — I don't think so.

synes = "seem / appear" (more literary)

There is a second, somewhat more literary/formal sense of synes: "to seem, appear" — often impersonal (det synes... = "it seems...") or reflexive. In everyday speech virke or se ud til are commoner for "seem", but you'll meet this synes in writing.

Det synes at være en rimelig løsning.

It seems to be a reasonable solution. (literary/formal 'seem')

The big distinction: synes vs tro vs mene vs tænke

English "I think" hides four different Danish verbs. Choosing wrongly is the central B2 hurdle here (full treatment at choosing/synes-tro-taenke):

synes — subjective opinion / how you find something: tastes, evaluations, aesthetic or value judgements. "I think the film was good" → Jeg synes....
tro — belief / guess about a fact you're unsure of: "I think it's going to rain", "I think he's at home". (See tro.)
mene — a considered position or what you intend/mean: "I think (maintain) we should wait", "what do you mean?". (See mene.)
tænke — to think = to cogitate, to use your mind; also tænke på "think about". Never for opinions.

Jeg synes, maden var god.

I think the food was good. (evaluation → synes)

Jeg tror, det bliver regn.

I think it'll rain. (uncertain prediction → tro)

Jeg mener, vi skal vente.

I think/maintain we should wait. (considered position → mene)

Jeg sad bare og tænkte.

I was just sitting and thinking. (cogitating → tænke)

💡

Rule of thumb: if you could replace "I think" with "in my opinion / I find", use synes. If you could replace it with "I believe / I guess (it's a fact, I'm not sure)", use tro.

A short dialogue

— Synes du, vi skal blive eller gå? — Jeg synes, vi skal gå — jeg tror, det begynder at regne snart. — Ja, det syntes jeg også, men jeg ville lige høre dig.

— Do you think we should stay or go? — I think we should go — I think (guess) it'll start raining soon. — Yes, I thought so too, but I wanted to check with you.

Notice the verbs sorting themselves: synes for the opinion (stay/go), tro for the guess about the rain, syntes (past) for the prior opinion.

Common Mistakes

1. Using synes for an uncertain factual guess (should be tro). This is the most frequent error.

❌ Jeg synes, det bliver regn i morgen.

Wrong — a weather prediction is a guess, not an opinion; use tro.

✅ Jeg tror, det bliver regn i morgen.

I think it'll rain tomorrow.

2. Using tror for an evaluation (should be synes). The mirror error.

❌ Jeg tror, filmen var god.

Odd — this means you're guessing whether the film was good, as if unsure you saw it.

✅ Jeg synes, filmen var god.

I think (found) the film good.

3. Misspelling the past as synes (or the present as syntes). The one-letter trap.

❌ I går synes jeg, det var kedeligt.

Wrong tense form — a past opinion needs syntes.

✅ I går syntes jeg, det var kedeligt.

Yesterday I thought it was boring.

4. Reading the -s as a passive. Synes is deponent; jeg synes is active "I think", not "I am thought".

❌ 'Jeg synes godt om den' = 'I am liked about it'.

Mis-parse — the -s isn't passive; it means 'I like it'.

✅ Jeg synes godt om den.

I like it / I think well of it.

5. Forgetting om in the 'like' sense. Synes om needs the particle.

❌ Jeg synes den nye plan.

Incomplete — to say you like/rate it, you need 'synes om'.

✅ Jeg synes (godt) om den nye plan.

I like / approve of the new plan.

Key Takeaways

💡

Synes (deponent -s verb: synes / syntes / har syntes, no imperative) = "think" in the sense of subjective opinion / how you find something. Mind the one-letter spelling: present synes, past syntes. Use synes (at) + clause for opinions, synes om for "like/rate", and Det synes jeg for "I think so". Keep it apart from tro (uncertain factual guess), mene (considered position / "mean"), and tænke (cogitate). The -s is not a passive.

Now practice Danish

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Danish→