I’m back again! Because I forgot to explain how “tänker” is different from “tycker” and “tror”. The fact is that when I’m teaching, I try not to mention “tänker” when discussing “tycker” and “tror”, even though the three words are often mentioned together in Swedish study material.
There are actually two ways of using “tänker”. First of all it means to be thinking of something, i. e. to be using your brain. Like this:
Vad tänker du på?
(What are you thinking of?)
Jag tänker på sommaren.
(I’m thinking of the summer/dreaming of the summer.)
The other way of using “tänker” is when constructing future tense. You might remember that we can use ska+infinitive form of the verb or kommer att+infinitive to construct future tense. Well, we can also use tänker+infinitive form. It could look something like this:
- Vad gör du på lördag?
(What are you up to next Saturday?)
- Jag tänker åka till Göteborg.
(I’m planning on going to Göteborg.)
As you can see, tänker åka is the type of future tense that implies that our plans are not definitely set, we might change our mind. In the example above I have probably not purchased my train ticket yet, and I’m still up for other suggestions. Compare to:
- Jag ska åka till Göteborg.
Whe I put it this way I have made up my mind, I will go to Gothenburg, I have bought the ticket and so on.
So, today’s lesson is that you shoulnd’t even bother your brain with “tänker” when you are trying to figure out “tycker” and “tror” and you should be fine.
‘Til next time!
Sara The Swedish Teacher
