anse (to consider, deem, be of the opinion) | Swedish Grammar

anse is the Swedish verb for "to consider, to deem, to be of the opinion." It is a prefixed strong verb — an- + se ("see") — and like every se-compound it inherits the conjugation of se: anse – ansåg – ansett. The mental logic is transparent: to consider something is to "see" it a certain way, and the past ansåg is just såg with the prefix. anse belongs to careful, opinion-stating language; it is the verb you reach for in essays, reports and debate, where it sits one register above the everyday tycka.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
anse	anser	ansåg	ansett	(anse, rare)	Group 4 (strong), prefixed from se

The forms track se – ser – såg – sett exactly, with an- on the front: anser (present, like ser), ansåg (past, like såg), ansett (supine, like sett). The past ansåg carries the å of såg — do not write ansog. The imperative anse exists but is rare in practice, because you seldom command someone to hold an opinion. The agreeing past participle is ansedd / ansett / ansedda and is a high-frequency adjective in its own right (see Use 3).

Jag anser att vi borde vänta tills vi har mer information.

I'm of the opinion that we should wait until we have more information. anser — present, like ser.

Domstolen ansåg att bevisen var otillräckliga.

The court deemed the evidence insufficient. ansåg — past, å exactly as in såg.

Experterna har länge ansett att teorin är felaktig.

The experts have long held that the theory is wrong. har ansett — perfect, supine like sett.

Use 1: anse att — "be of the opinion that"

The central frame is anse att + a clause: you state an opinion as your considered view. This is the formal, weighty cousin of tycka att. Where tycka reports a personal taste or feeling, anse reports a reasoned judgement, which is why it dominates in news reports, legal language and academic prose.

Regeringen anser att reformen är nödvändig för ekonomin.

The government holds that the reform is necessary for the economy. anse att — formal, reasoned opinion.

Många forskare anser att siffrorna är överdrivna.

Many researchers consider the figures to be exaggerated. anse att + clause.

Vi ansåg att förslaget gick för långt.

We took the view that the proposal went too far. ansåg att — past.

Use 2: anse någon/något vara — "consider someone/something to be"

anse also takes an object plus vara ("to be"): anse någon vara X = "consider someone to be X." In the passive this becomes the very common anses vara ("is considered to be"), a neat, impersonal way to report received opinion without naming who holds it.

Kollegorna anser henne vara den mest pålitliga i teamet.

Her colleagues consider her to be the most reliable on the team. anse någon vara.

Han anses vara en av landets främsta arkitekter.

He is considered to be one of the country's foremost architects. anses vara — impersonal passive.

Förslaget ansågs vara orealistiskt och lades ner.

The proposal was deemed unrealistic and was dropped. ansågs vara — past passive.

Use 3: ansedd — "well-regarded, esteemed"

The past participle ansedd has its own everyday life as an adjective meaning "well-regarded, respected, esteemed." It agrees like any participle: en ansedd professor (en-word), ett ansett universitet (ett-word), ansedda forskare (plural). Note the spelling: the en-word/plural forms double the d — ansedd, ansedda — while the ett-word form is ansett, which looks identical to the supine but is here an agreeing adjective.

Hon är en mycket ansedd kirurg på sjukhuset.

She's a highly esteemed surgeon at the hospital. en ansedd — well-regarded (en-word).

De studerar vid ett av Europas mest ansedda universitet.

They study at one of Europe's most respected universities. ett ansett (here ansedda after most) — esteemed.

anse vs tycka, and the noun en åsikt

Keep the register split clear: tycka is everyday "think/feel" (Jag tycker att filmen var tråkig — "I think the film was boring"); anse is the considered, formal "be of the opinion." The corresponding noun for "an opinion" is en åsikt — note that it is not built from anse but is the standard word you pair with it: Det är min åsikt ("That's my opinion").

Det är min åsikt, men jag respekterar att du anser något annat.

That's my opinion, but I respect that you take a different view. en åsikt = an opinion; anse = hold an opinion.

Common Mistakes

❌ Kommittén ansåg-ade att förslaget var bra.

Incorrect — anse is strong (it's an + se), so it takes no -ade ending. The past is ansåg.

✅ Kommittén ansåg att förslaget var bra.

The committee held that the proposal was good.

❌ Jag har ansåg att det var fel.

Incorrect — after har you need the supine ansett, not the past ansåg. Compare har sett, not har såg.

✅ Jag har ansett att det var fel.

I have held that it was wrong.

❌ Domstolen ansog att bevisen räckte.

Wrong vowel — the past keeps the å of såg: ansåg, not ansog.

✅ Domstolen ansåg att bevisen räckte.

The court deemed the evidence sufficient.

❌ Jag anser glass. (intending 'I like ice cream')

Off — anser isn't for casual liking; that's Jag gillar/tycker om glass. anse needs an opinion frame, e.g. anse att.

✅ Jag anser att glass borde vara gratis.

I'm of the opinion that ice cream should be free.

❌ Han är en anset professor.

Wrong agreement/spelling — professor is an en-word, so the adjective is the en-form ansedd (double d), not ansett.

✅ Han är en ansedd professor.

He's a well-regarded professor.

💡

Build anse from an + se and copy se through: anse – anser – ansåg – ansett (mind the å in ansåg, like såg). Reach for it in formal opinion-stating — anse att outranks everyday tycka att — and remember the participle ansedd means "esteemed, well-regarded," with the en-form doubling the d: en ansedd professor.

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