synes vs tror vs mener: Three Ways to 'Think' | Norwegian Grammar

The core distinction in one sentence: synes is your subjective verdict on something you've experienced ("I find it…"), tror is your belief or guess about an uncertain fact ("I reckon / I'd guess…"), and mener is your reasoned, considered opinion ("I hold / I maintain…"). English "think" — and to a lesser degree "believe" — flattens all three, so English speakers routinely pick the wrong one, especially using tror where a verdict calls for synes.

Get this split right and your Norwegian instantly sounds more native, because these three verbs are extremely high-frequency and the line between them is one native speakers feel sharply.

synes = your subjective impression of something experienced

Use synes to give a personal evaluation of something you have seen, heard, tasted, tried, or otherwise experienced. It is "I find it…" / "in my view it's…". The defining feature: there's no objective right answer — it's your taste, your reaction, your verdict.

Jeg synes filmen var kjedelig.

I think / found the film boring.

Hva synes du om den nye sjefen?

What do you think of the new boss?

Jeg synes det er litt for dyrt.

I think it's a bit too expensive. (my judgement)

Notice you can almost always swap in "I find" in English: I find the film boring, I find it too expensive. If "I find…" works, it's synes.

synes is a deponent s-verb. It keeps the -s through the present, and its past is irregular: synes → synes → syntes → har syntes (the spelling synts also occurs). The -s is part of the verb, not a passive marker — don't drop it.

Jeg syntes konserten var fantastisk.

I thought the concert was fantastic. (past verdict)

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Test for synes: can you replace "think" with "find" or "in my opinion (about something I experienced)"? "I think the soup needs salt" = "I find the soup needs salt" → synes. It's a verdict, not a guess.

tror = you believe it / think it probable / guess

Use tror when you're not certain and you're estimating, predicting, or guessing about a fact. It's "I believe", "I reckon", "I'd guess", "I think (it's probably the case)". Crucially, tror is about factual likelihood, not about evaluating quality.

Jeg tror det kommer til å regne.

I think it's going to rain.

Tror du han kommer i kveld?

Do you think he's coming tonight?

Jeg tror hun er rundt førti.

I think she's around forty. (a guess at a fact)

The "it'll rain" example is the perfect contrast with synes: there's a real answer (it either will or won't rain), you just don't know it — so you tror. You'd never synes it's going to rain, because rain isn't a matter of taste.

tror also means "believe (in)". With the preposition på, it's religious or trusting belief:

Tror du på Gud?

Do you believe in God?

Jeg tror på deg.

I believe in you. / I trust you.

The conjugation is regular: tro → tror → trodde → har trodd. Mind the double d in trodde/trodd.

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Test for tror: is there a real fact you're uncertain about and guessing at? "I think the shop is closed" (it either is or isn't — you're guessing) → tror. Swap-in test: "I reckon / I'd guess" works.

mener = your considered, reasoned opinion (and "mean")

Use mener for an opinion you hold on reflection — a stance, a claim, a position you'd argue for. It's "I maintain", "I hold the view", "I'm of the opinion". It's weightier than synes: where synes is a gut verdict on an experience, mener is a reasoned position, often on a question of right/wrong, policy, or what should happen.

Jeg mener at vi bør vente til neste år.

I think (maintain) we should wait until next year.

Hun mener at avgjørelsen var feil.

She thinks (holds) the decision was wrong.

Jeg mener du tar feil.

I think you're wrong. (a reasoned claim)

That last one is telling: jeg mener du tar feil is a considered position you'd defend, not a fleeting impression. Using synes there would soften it to a mere matter of taste.

mener also means "to mean / intend". This is a separate, very common sense — what someone means by something:

Hva mener du med det?

What do you mean by that?

Jeg mente det ikke sånn.

I didn't mean it that way.

The conjugation is regular weak: mene → mener → mente → har ment.

The three-way contrast in one breath

Here's a set that forces the distinction, so you can feel where the lines fall:

Jeg synes maten var god, men jeg tror den var litt dyr, og jeg mener vi burde gått et annet sted.

I think the food was good, but I think it was a bit expensive, and I think we should have gone somewhere else.

synes maten var god — a verdict on something experienced (taste)
tror den var litt dyr — a guess about a fact (you're not sure of the price)
mener vi burde gått — a reasoned position about what should have happened

English uses "think" three times; Norwegian keeps them apart.

synes vs mener — the subtle pair

These two are the hardest to separate because both are opinions. The rule of thumb:

synes = subjective, experiential, about how something strikes you ("I find X nice/boring/good"). Lower commitment.
mener = reasoned, argued, about what is right or true or advisable ("I maintain that X"). Higher commitment.

Jeg synes det er en fin idé.

I think it's a nice idea. (it appeals to me)

Jeg mener det er en dårlig idé.

I think it's a bad idea. (a position I'd argue for)

A reliable signal: if the opinion is followed by should/ought to (bør/burde) or concerns right-and-wrong, lean mener. If it's a reaction to how something was (good, boring, beautiful), lean synes.

Edge cases and gray areas

Polite softening with tror. Norwegians often use tror to soften a claim into a guess for politeness, even about opinions: jeg tror jeg tar en kaffe (I think I'll have a coffee). Here it's a hedge, not a real prediction.

synes about a person's character is still a verdict: jeg synes han er hyggelig (I think he's nice) — your impression. But jeg tror han er snill leans toward "I guess/assume he's kind" without firm evidence.

tro and synes can both take "that"-clauses, so the that alone doesn't decide it — the meaning does. Jeg tror at det er sant (I believe it's true — guessing) vs jeg synes at det er urettferdig (I find it unfair — verdict).

Common Mistakes

Almost every error here is using tror for a verdict that should be synes, because English "think" hides the difference.

❌ Jeg tror filmen var bra.

Incorrect for a verdict — sounds like you're guessing whether the film was good.

✅ Jeg synes filmen var bra.

I think the film was good. (my verdict)

❌ Jeg synes det kommer til å regne.

Incorrect — rain isn't a matter of taste; it's a prediction.

✅ Jeg tror det kommer til å regne.

I think it's going to rain.

❌ Hva tror du om den nye sjefen?

Incorrect for asking an evaluation — this asks what you guess about him.

✅ Hva synes du om den nye sjefen?

What do you think of the new boss?

❌ Jeg syner det er for dyrt.

Incorrect form — the verb keeps its -s: synes.

✅ Jeg synes det er for dyrt.

I think it's too expensive.

❌ Jeg tror du tar feil og bør be om unnskyldning.

Weak for a reasoned stance — this hedges what is really a firm position.

✅ Jeg mener du tar feil og bør be om unnskyldning.

I think you're wrong and should apologise.

Decision summary

You "think"…	Use	Swap-in test	Example
a verdict on something experienced	synes	"I find…"	Jeg synes maten var god.
a guess / prediction about a fact	tror	"I reckon / I'd guess…"	Jeg tror det regner.
believe in (faith / trust)	tror på	"believe in"	Jeg tror på deg.
a reasoned, argued opinion	mener	"I maintain / I hold…"	Jeg mener vi bør vente.
"mean / intend"	mener	"mean by"	Hva mener du med det?

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The fast triage: a matter of taste → synes; a matter of fact you're unsure of → tror; a position you'd argue for → mener.

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