Synes is how Norwegian says "I think" when what you really mean is "I find" or "it strikes me." It is the most personal of the four verbs English flattens into "think" (synes / tro / mene / tenke): it reports your subjective reaction, your taste, your impression — never a fact you are guessing at, and never a reasoned position you could argue. It is also a deponent -s verb, meaning it carries a passive-looking -s in every single form while staying active in meaning. Mastering synes is the cornerstone of giving opinions naturally in Norwegian.
Conjugation
Class: deponent -s verb (built on weak Class 2 stem syn-). Auxiliary: ha. The defining feature is that the -s never goes away — there is no plain form *syne.
| Tense / mood | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å synes | to think / find / seem |
| Presens | synes | think(s) / find(s) |
| Preteritum | syntes | thought / found |
| Perfektum | har syntes | have/has thought / found |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde syntes | had thought / found |
| Futurum | kommer til å synes | will think / find |
| Imperativ | (not used) | — |
Why the -s, and why it never leaves
Synes belongs to the same family as finnes ("exist"), trives ("thrive") and lykkes ("succeed"): verbs that wear the -s of the passive but mean something active. Grammarians call these deponent or s-verbs. The historical logic is reflexive — synes comes from "to show itself," i.e. "to appear" — which is exactly why the verb also means "be visible / seem" (see below) and why it shades so naturally into "how it appears to me," that is, "what I find."
Because the -s is part of the stem and not a separable ending, it survives into every tense. This is the single most common error English speakers make: they hear "I thought" and reach for a t-form without the s, producing *synte or *syntet. The correct preterite is syntes — same -s, just an added t.
Jeg synes filmen var bra, men slutten var litt rar.
I think (find) the film was good, but the ending was a bit odd.
Hva synes du om den nye sjefen?
What do you think of the new boss?
Vi syntes det var dyrt, så vi gikk et annet sted.
We thought (found) it was expensive, so we went somewhere else.
Sense 1: synes = find / feel (subjective opinion)
This is the everyday meaning and the one you will use constantly. Synes reports how something strikes you — your taste, your gut reaction, your evaluation. There is no right or wrong answer to a synes statement, because it is about your experience, not about the world. English "I think the soup is too salty," "I find this boring," "it seems lovely to me" are all synes.
It is followed by at + clause (often dropped), or by om + a noun when you ask for someone's opinion about something (Hva synes du om...?).
Jeg synes (at) du burde ta imot jobben.
I think (feel) you should take the job.
Synes du ikke det er litt for kaldt til å bade?
Don't you think it's a bit too cold to go swimming?
Hun syntes det var urettferdig at hun måtte vente lengst.
She thought (felt) it was unfair that she had to wait the longest.
The test: if you can swap English "think" for "find" or "feel" without changing the meaning, you want synes. "I find the soup salty" → synes. Compare "I think it will rain" (a guess about a fact) → that is tro, not synes.
Sense 2: synes = be visible / show / seem
The older, more literal meaning survives in everyday speech: synes = "be visible," "show," "be perceptible." Here it usually has det or a concrete subject and no at-clause of opinion. Det synes godt = "it shows clearly." This is the sense closest to the verb's "show itself" origin.
Flekken synes fortsatt litt på skjorta.
The stain still shows a little on the shirt.
Det synes godt at du ikke har sovet i natt.
You can clearly see (it shows) that you didn't sleep last night.
Stjernene syntes så vidt gjennom skyene.
The stars were just barely visible through the clouds.
There is also a slightly (formal) / (literary) construction det synes som (om)... meaning "it appears that / it seems as though," used to soften an assertion in writing.
Det synes som om forhandlingene har brutt sammen.
It appears that the negotiations have broken down. (formal)
synes vs tro vs mene vs tenke
This is why the page matters. All four can surface as English "think," but each does a different mental job:
| Verb | Means | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| synes | find / feel (subjective impression) | personal taste, how something strikes you |
| tro | believe / guess (uncertain fact) | predictions, estimates, things you can't verify |
| mene | hold the opinion / mean (considered view) | reasoned positions, what you intend to say |
| tenke | think / ponder (the mental process) | the act of thinking, intending, imagining |
Jeg synes filmen var kjedelig.
I think (find) the film was boring. — taste
Jeg tror filmen begynner klokka åtte.
I think (guess) the film starts at eight. — uncertain fact
Jeg mener at filmen var politisk farlig.
I think (am of the opinion) the film was politically dangerous. — reasoned stance
The dividing line that matters most for synes: it is the only one of the four that is purely about your reaction, with no claim about reality. "I think the soup is too salty" is your tongue's verdict → synes. The moment you are guessing at a fact ("I think it's Tuesday") you cross into tro; the moment you are taking a defensible position ("I think this policy is wrong") you cross into mene. The full three-way (four-way) decision guide lives on the synes / tror / mener page.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg syne filmen var bra.
Incorrect — synes never drops its -s; there is no form *syne.
✅ Jeg synes filmen var bra.
I think (find) the film was good.
❌ Vi synte det var dyrt.
Incorrect preterite — it keeps the -s: syntes, not *synte.
✅ Vi syntes det var dyrt.
We thought (found) it was expensive.
❌ Jeg synes det regner i morgen.
Wrong verb — a guess about a future fact takes tro, not synes.
✅ Jeg tror det regner i morgen.
I think (guess) it'll rain tomorrow.
❌ Hva synes du? — om vi bør stenge skolene.
A reasoned policy stance wants mene, not synes.
✅ Hva mener du om vi bør stenge skolene?
What's your opinion on whether we should close the schools?
Key Takeaways
- synes / synes / syntes / har syntes — a deponent -s verb; the -s is welded on in every form (no *syne).
- Only two written shapes to learn: synes (present/infinitive) and syntes (preterite/supine).
- Core sense = find / feel — your subjective impression, with no claim about reality.
- Second sense = be visible / seem (det synes godt = "it shows clearly").
- In the synes / tro / mene / tenke family, synes is the personal-taste member — use tro for guesses, mene for reasoned opinions.
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Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- Deponent s-Verbs: synes, finnes, trivesB1 — The lexical -s verbs that are never passives — synes, finnes, trives, lykkes — and the three-way 'think' split between synes, tror and mener.
- synes vs tror vs mener: Three Ways to 'Think'B1 — synes is your subjective verdict on something you've experienced, tror is your belief or guess about an uncertain fact, and mener is your reasoned, considered opinion — English 'think' splits three ways.
- tro (to believe / think)A2 — Conjugation and usage of tro, a weak Class 4 vowel-stem verb, covering 'believe', 'think (uncertain)', tro på (believe in), and the contrast with synes and mene.
- mene (to mean / opine)B1 — Conjugation and usage of the weak Class 2 verb mene (mene / mener / mente / har ment): holding a considered opinion, the meaning 'to mean / intend', mene at and mene det (be serious), and the contrast with synes and tro.
- tenke (to think)A2 — Conjugation and usage of the weak Class 2 verb tenke (tenke / tenker / tenkte / har tenkt): the mental process of thinking, plus tenke på (think about), tenke seg (imagine) and tenke å (intend to), and the contrast with synes, tro and mene.