tänka

From Old Swedish þænkia, from Middle Low German denken (“to perceive, think”), from Old Saxon thenkian.

While nk attests to the Low German origin, the initial t must be due to influence by some inherited cognate. This is probably either tycka (“to have an opinion”) or Old Swedish þækkia (“to seem, think”).

• Audio (Gotland):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -²ɛŋka

tänka (present tänker, preterite tänkte, supine tänkt, imperative tänk)

1. to think (think to oneself, have a thought (process) in one's head) [(optionally) with på ‘about’]

   Vad tänker du på?

   What are you thinking about?

   Jag satt där och tänkte på vad som hade hänt igår.

   I sat there and thought about what had happened yesterday.

   När jag hörde det så tänkte jag genast att det inte skulle fungera, men jag sa ingenting.

   When I heard it, I immediately thought [to myself] that it wouldn't work, but I didn't say anything. ("... så tyckte jag genast ..." instead corresponds to "... I immediately was of the opinion that it wouldn't work," which is a less common way to phrase it)

   tänka länge och väl.

   think long and hard.

   • 1932, Evert Taube, “Calle Schewens vals [Calle Schewen's Waltz]”‎^[1]:

     Då vilar min blommande ö vid din barm, du dunkelblå, vindstilla fjärd. Och julinattsskymningen smyger sig varm till sovande buskar och träd. Min älva, du dansar så lyssnande tyst och tänker att karlar är troll. Den skälver, din barnsliga hand som jag kysst, och valsen förklingar i moll.

     Then my blossoming island rests [then rests my blossoming island] on your bosom, you dark blue, still ["windstill," currently windless] archipelago / bay. And the dusk of the July night sneaks, warm, to sleeping bushes and trees. My fairy [or "elf," but with different connotations], you dance so quietly, listening ["listeningly quiet"], and think to yourself [to avoid the ambiguity of just "think" here in English] that men are trolls. It trembles, your childish hand that I have kissed, and the waltz fades away in minor [key].

   • 1991, Eva Dahlgren, “Vem tänder stjärnorna? [Who lights the stars?]”, in En blekt blondins hjärta [The Heart of a Bleached Blonde]‎^[2]:

     Det var evighetssekunder. Tre korta andetag. Hela livet vände. Vem valde? Inte jag. Jag hörde ord från mina läppar som aldrig vilat i min mun. Tankar aldrig tänkta, som nya väggar i ett rum.

     It was seconds of eternity. Three short breaths. My whole life ["the whole life" – Swedish often prefers to express possession by putting a noun in the definite instead of with a separate possessive pronoun] turned around. Who chose? Not me. I heard words from my lips that had [implied from vilat (“rested”) being supine] never rested in my mouth. Thoughts never thought, like new walls in a room.

   • 1994, Uno Svenningsson, “Under ytan [Beneath the Surface]”, in Uno‎^[3]:

     Jag tänker på dig ofta. Om du varit min egen bror, då hade också jag förvandlats till ett monster utan ord.

     I think about you often. If you had been my own brother, then I too would have turned into a monster without words.

2. (expressing sudden or intense thought) to think (hard, in order to solve a problem or the like) [with till]

   Vilken finurlig och praktisk lösning! Här har någon tänkt till.

   What a clever and practical solution! Someone has thought hard about this.

   Den här olyckan får förhoppningsvis många att tänka till och ta det försiktigare

   This accident will hopefully make many people think and be more careful

3. to keep in mind, to remember, be mindful of [(optionally) with på]

   Tänk på att du aldrig får lämna ett tänt ljus

   Remember that you must never leave a lit candle

4. to intend to, to plan on, to mean

   Jag tänker åka utomlands på semestern

   I plan to go abroad for my vacation

5. (reflexive) to have on one's mind, to have as a (preconceived) plan

   Vilken färg har ni tänkt er på huset?

   Which color do you have in mind for the house?

6. (reflexive) to consider as viable

   Jag skulle aldrig någonsin kunna tänka mig att måla huset i en sådan knallrosa färg!

   I could never consider painting the house in such a sharp pink color!

• For think in the sense of "be of the opinion," see tycka. Compare:

  Jag tänker att pizza är gott. (an unusual thing to say in Swedish)

  I think: "Pizza is good." / I think to myself that pizza is good.

  Jag tycker att pizza är gott. (the natural way to say it)

  I think [am of the opinion that] pizza is good.

• For think in the sense of "believe," see tro. Compare:

  Jag tänker att filmen börjar klockan åtta. (an unusual thing to say in Swedish, though it might appear in a line of reasoning or the like, similar to "Here's what I'm thinking")

  I think: "The movie starts at eight o'clock." / I think to myself that the movie starts at eight o'clock.

  Jag tror att filmen börjar klockan åtta. (the natural way to say it)

  I think [believe] the movie starts at eight o'clock.

• Regarding the sense of "to intend" or "to mean", tänka is the main option signifying a setup plan, while mena (somewhat more colloquial) signifies what are the immediate consequences. For example: "I didn't mean to knock your teeth out" = "Jag menade inte att slå ut dina tänder" (or, alternatively, "Det var inte meningen att slå ut dina tänder"). Here, a translation with tänka ("Jag tänkte inte ...") may give the impression of "I didn't plan to knock out your teeth."

• (think) fundera, grubbla, grunna
• (intend) mena, ämna, avse

• (think) tänk, tänka efter, tänka om, tänka ut, tänkare, tänkarpanna, tänkebok, tänkespråk, tänkesätt, tänkvärd, tänkvärdhet
• (intend) tänkbar, tänkbarhet

• betänka
• tanke

• åtanke

• tänka in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• tänka in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• tänka in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)