Danish grammar
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Tro vs. synes
| Both tro and synes can translate as think, but they express different kinds of thinking. Tro = believe/guess – no direct experience. Synes = opinion based on your experience or feeling. |
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| tro – guess/belief (no direct experience) | |
| Use when you assume something is true, predict the future, or talk about facts you don't personally know. | |
| Jeg tror, Beijing er større end Tokyo | I think / believe Beijing is bigger than Tokyo |
| Jeg tror, klokken er ni | I think it's nine o'clock |
| Jeg tror, han kommer i morgen | I think he's coming tomorrow |
| Tror du, han er hjemme? | Do you think he's at home? |
| Jeg tror ikke, jeg får jobbet | I don't think I'll get the job |
| tro på = believe in: Jeg tror på Gud / Vi tror på systemet. | |
| synes – opinion based on experience/feeling | |
| Use for how something seems to you after you have seen, tried, or felt it. | |
| Jeg synes, filmen er god | I think the movie is good |
| Hvad synes du om filmen? | What do you think of the movie? |
| Jeg synes, du er flink | I think you're nice |
| Jeg synes, Tokyo er spændende | I think Tokyo is exciting |
| Vi synes, huset er dyrt | We think the house is expensive |
| For "like," Danish usually uses kan lide: Jeg kan lide kaffe (more common than synes om kaffe). | |
| Same English "think" – different Danish choice | |
| Jeg tror, det er en god bog | I think it's a good book (I haven't read it) |
| Jeg synes, det er en god bog | I think it's a good book (I've read it) |
| Jeg tror, København er dyr | I think Copenhagen is expensive (guess) |
| Jeg synes, København er dyr | I think Copenhagen is expensive (my experience) |
| Negation with ikke (word order) | |
| In main clauses, place ikke right after tror/synes. | |
| Jeg tror ikke, han er hjemme | I don't think he's at home |
| Jeg synes ikke, det er en god idé | I don't think it's a good idea |
| Vi synes ikke, huset er billigt | We don't think the house is cheap |
| Jeg tror ikke, jeg får jobbet | I don't think I'll get the job |
| Questions (word order) | |
| Use the normal question pattern: Tror/synes + subject … ? | |
| Tror du, han kommer? | Do you think he'll come? |
| Hvad synes du om mødet? | What do you think of the meeting? |
| Common pitfalls | |
| Using synes for a prediction (✘Jeg synes, han kommer i morgen) | ✓ Use tro: Jeg tror, han kommer i morgen |
| Using tro for a personal evaluation (✘Jeg tror, filmen er god after watching) | ✓ Use synes: Jeg synes, filmen er god |
| Wrong negative order (✘Jeg tror, han er ikke hjemme) | ✓ Place ikke after the verb: Jeg tror ikke, han er hjemme |
| Dropping på in "believe in" (✘Jeg tror Gud) | ✓ Say Jeg tror på Gud / Vi tror på systemet |
| ✘ Overusing synes om for "like" | ✓ Prefer kan lide: Jeg kan lide kaffe |
| Quick tips | |
| • tro = belief/guess (facts, future, no direct experience) • synes = opinion after experience/feeling • Negatives: Jeg tror/synes ikke … • "Believe in" = tro på; "Like" = kan lide |
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| Take a test | |
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