Ich denke, dass
/ɪç ˈdɛŋkə das/word by word
The German phrase for "I think that" is Ich denke, dass.
Ich denke, dass is used to introduce a personal opinion or a belief about something.
Which one should you use?
While Ich denke, dass is used to express a thought, Ich glaube, dass (I believe that) is often more common in everyday German when expressing a subjective opinion or a belief.
How does it change in a sentence?
A comma must always separate the main clause Ich denke from the subordinate clause starting with dass. Additionally, the conjunction dass triggers subordinate clause word order, which means the conjugated verb must move to the very end of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɪç ˈdɛŋkə das/
Did you know?
- In spoken German, people often omit the dass entirely. This removes the need to move the verb to the end of the sentence, making the word order identical to English.
- When using Ich denke, dass, the verb's position at the end of the sentence creates a 'suspense' effect. The listener cannot know the full meaning of the opinion until the very last word is spoken.
- The pronoun ich comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *éǵh₂. This same root is the ancestor of the word 'I' in English and 'ego' in Latin.
Examples in context
- Ich denke, dass du dich irrst.I think that you're incorrect.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use Ich denke, dass to state that someone is incorrect.Tatoeba #11817408 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #7110601 by CM
- Ich denke, daß das jeder kann.I think that anyone can do that.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use Ich denke, dass to express that anyone can do something.Tatoeba #12436325 by Waldelfe, translation #6337465 by CK
- Ich denke, dass ich recht habe.I think that I'm right.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use Ich denke, dass to claim that you are right.Tatoeba #12281055 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #8353443 by CK
- Ich denke, dass das Meeting erfolgreich verlaufen wirdI think that the meeting will be successful
- Ich glaube, dass wir heute Abend ins Kino gehen solltenI think we should go to the cinema tonight
- Nach meiner Auffassung sollten wir uns auf diese Art von Projekten konzentrierenIn my understanding, we should focus on these types of projects
- Ich bin der Meinung, dass wir unsere Strategie überdenken solltenI think we should reconsider our strategy
- 93 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Julia are discussing a movie they just watched.
- JulianIch denke, dass der Film zu lang war.I think that the movie was too long.
- JuliaWirklich? Ich fand ihn spannend.Really? I found it exciting.
- JulianIch denke, dass die Geschichte nicht logisch war.I think that the story was not logical.
- JuliaDa hast du vielleicht recht, Julian.You might be right about that, Julian.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Ich, Denke, dass) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Ich, dass, ich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
