Deponent s-Verbs: synes, finnes, trives | Norwegian Grammar

You have met the -s ending as the passive (selges "is sold"). But a small, very high-frequency group of Norwegian verbs carries -s in every form for no passive reason at all. These are the deponent (or "s-only") verbs: synes, finnes, trives, lykkes and a few more. The -s is simply part of the word, the way "- self" is fused into nobody's grammar but lives inside "myself." Stripping it off is one of the most persistent English-speaker errors, so this page nails down both the forms and the meanings — including the notorious three-way split of English "think."

What makes them deponent

A deponent s-verb keeps its -s through the whole conjugation — infinitive, present, preterite, supine. There is no -s-less version of these verbs in these meanings.

Infinitive	Present	Preterite	Supine	Meaning
synes	synes	syntes	syntes	think / feel / find (subjective)
finnes	finnes	fantes	fantes	exist / there is
trives	trives	trivdes	trivdes	thrive / feel at home
lykkes	lykkes	lyktes	lyktes	succeed
mislykkes	mislykkes	mislyktes	mislyktes	fail
ferdes	ferdes	ferdes/ferdtes	ferdes	move about, travel around

The orthography to lock in: the -s stays everywhere, and the preterite often shrinks the stem — synes → syntes, trives → trivdes, lykkes → lyktes, finnes → fantes. There is no logical derivation for these stem changes; they are simply the forms, and you memorise them.

Det finnes ingen enkel løsning på dette.

There is no simple solution to this.

Hun trives veldig godt i Oslo.

She feels very much at home in Oslo.

finnes, trives, lykkes in action

finnes is your everyday "there is / there are / exists." It is a true s-verb, never finne in this meaning (finne without -s means "to find").

Finnes det en kafé i nærheten?

Is there a café nearby?

Før fantes det en kino her, men den ble revet.

There used to be a cinema here, but it was torn down.

trives describes well-being — feeling comfortable, settled, content somewhere. There is no neat English single verb; "thrive," "feel at home," "be happy (in a place)" all circle it.

Barna trives på den nye skolen.

The kids are happy at the new school.

lykkes ("succeed") and its negative mislykkes ("fail") take med for the thing you succeed/fail at, and the person is often the subject but sometimes a dative-like for-phrase. The most common everyday pattern is lykkes med noe.

Vi lyktes med planen til slutt.

We succeeded with the plan in the end.

Forsøket mislyktes fordi vi manglet tid.

The attempt failed because we were short of time.

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You will also meet a handful of reciprocal s-verbs — møtes ("meet each other"), slåss ("fight"), enes ("agree") — where the -s means "each other." De møtes ofte = "they meet each other often." This is a different job for -s than the passive, even though it looks identical; context (a plural subject doing something mutually) tells them apart. A few more are sensory: høres ut ("sound"), kjennes ("feel to the touch/senses").

Vi møtes utenfor kinoen klokka sju.

We'll meet (each other) outside the cinema at seven.

Det høres ut som en god idé.

That sounds like a good idea.

The three-way "think": synes vs tror vs mener

This is the section that earns the page. English flattens three distinct mental verbs into one word, think, and Norwegian keeps them apart. Choosing wrong does not just sound odd — it can change what you are claiming about the world.

synes — a subjective impression, a personal reaction based on your own experience or taste. "It strikes me / I find / in my view." Use it for opinions about quality, feelings and impressions. This is the deponent s-verb of the trio.

Jeg synes filmen var bra.

I thought the film was good. (my impression / I found it good)

Synes du det er for dyrt?

Do you find it too expensive?

tror — a belief about an uncertain fact, something you hold to be true but cannot verify. "I believe / I reckon / I guess." Use it when you might be wrong about a matter of fact.

Jeg tror det blir regn i morgen.

I think it'll rain tomorrow. (a guess about a fact)

Tror du han kommer?

Do you think he'll come? (will he, as a fact?)

mener — a reasoned opinion or stance, a position you hold and could argue for. "I maintain / I hold the view / I am of the opinion." Use it for considered judgements, especially on debatable matters.

Jeg mener at skolen bør være gratis.

I think (maintain) that school should be free. (a reasoned position)

Hva mener du om det nye forslaget?

What's your view on the new proposal?

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Quick test. Is it a taste/impression ("I find it nice")? → synes. Is it a guess about a fact ("I bet it's true")? → tror. Is it a stance you'd defend ("I hold that…")? → mener. When in doubt about quality or feeling, synes is the safe everyday choice — and it is the one that carries the deponent -s. See choosing/synes-tror-mener for the full decision tree.

The contrast is sharpest when the same English sentence forces a choice. "I think the film was good" is synes (your impression of its quality). "I think the film won an award" is tror (a guess about a fact). Same English verb, two different Norwegian verbs, because Norwegian cares whether you are reporting a reaction or a belief.

Jeg synes boka var kjedelig, men jeg tror den solgte godt.

I thought the book was boring, but I think (believe) it sold well.

Common Mistakes

The two classic errors: dropping the obligatory -s, and picking the wrong "think" verb.

❌ Jeg syne at maten var god.

Incorrect — synes keeps its -s in every form; there is no 'syne'.

✅ Jeg synes at maten var god.

I thought the food was good.

❌ Det finne mange gode grunner til det.

Incorrect — 'exist / there is' is finnes (with -s); finne without -s means 'to find'.

✅ Det finnes mange gode grunner til det.

There are many good reasons for it.

❌ Jeg tror filmen var kjempebra.

Incorrect — a personal impression of quality is synes; tror would mean you're guessing the film was good without having seen it.

✅ Jeg synes filmen var kjempebra.

I thought the film was really great. (my impression)

❌ Jeg synes at det kommer til å regne i morgen.

Incorrect — a guess about a future fact is tror, not synes.

✅ Jeg tror at det kommer til å regne i morgen.

I think it's going to rain tomorrow.

❌ Han trivde seg godt på jobben.

Incorrect — trives is deponent and reflexive-less here; the preterite is trivdes, with no seg.

✅ Han trivdes godt på jobben.

He was happy at work.

Key Takeaways

Deponent s-verbs (synes, finnes, trives, lykkes, mislykkes, ferdes) keep -s in every form and are not passives — the -s is lexical.
Watch the preterite stem changes: syntes, fantes, trivdes, lyktes — memorise them.
A separate reciprocal -s (møtes, slåss) means "each other"; sensory -s verbs include høres ut, kjennes.
English "think" splits three ways: synes (subjective impression), tror (belief about an uncertain fact), mener (reasoned stance). Full guidance in choosing/synes-tror-mener.

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