彼らは思っている
karera wa omotte iru
In Japanese, "they think" is expressed as 彼らは思っている (karera wa omotte iru).
This phrase is used to describe the opinions or beliefs held by a group of people.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of karera (they), wa (topic marker) and omotte iru (the continuous state of thinking).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form omotte iru uses the -te iru construction to express a continuous state of holding an opinion. In a sentence, the content of what they think is placed before the particle to (the quotation particle) and before omotte iru.
How do you pronounce it?
karera wa omotte iru
Did you know?
- Adding だろう or かも before 思っている allows the speaker to express that 'they probably think' something, avoiding a definitive statement to remain socially polite and indirect.
- To sound more polite or humble, the speaker might use お考えです instead of 思っている. This shifts the focus from a simple internal thought to a formal 'consideration' held by the other party.
- While English uses 'think' for both logical deduction and opinion, Japanese speakers often switch to 考える (kangaeru) if the group is performing a conscious, analytical process of thinking.
Examples in context
- トムが家まで後をつけてメアリーを殺したと彼らは思っている。They think that Tom followed Mary home and killed her.This sentence is useful for showing how to express a belief about a specific event using 彼らは思っている.Tatoeba #1749395 by bunbuku, translation #1030022 by CK
- 経済学者は景気が回復すると考えています。Economists think that the economy will recover.
- 彼らは明日試験があると思っている。They think there is an exam tomorrow.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Himari and Hiroto are talking about their classmates.
- 陽葵 Himariクラスの彼らは、このテストが簡単だと思っているよ。Kurasu no karera wa, kono tesuto ga kantan da to omotte iru yo.They in the class think this test is easy.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当に？僕はすごく難しかったよ。Hontō ni? Boku wa sugoku muzukashikatta yo.Really? I thought it was very difficult.
- 陽葵 Himariそうだけど、彼らは思っているみたい。Sō dakedo, karera wa omotte iru mitai.That's true, but it seems they think so.
- 大翔 Hiroto不思議だね。Fushigi da ne.That's strange.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
