と思う|とおもう
Meaning
- 1States the speaker’s opinion or conjecture.Ex. 1
- 2Asks for the listener’s opinion.Ex. 2
Formation
Verb (plain form)＋と思う
i-adj. (plain form)＋と思う
na-adj. stem＋だ＋と思う
Noun＋だ＋と思う
Politeと思います
Questionと思いますか明日は雨だと思う; 彼は正しいと思いますか
Examples
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Usage
This neutral pattern is common in conversation and writing for presenting a view as one’s own rather than making a bare assertion. と思います is its polite form; と思いますか asks for the listener’s view.
Watch out
Do not omit だ in an affirmative present-tense statement with a noun or な-adjective before と思う.
Learners should normally use a plain form before と, even when と思う itself is polite.
Note that someone else’s current opinion is normally expressed with と思っている rather than plain と思う.
Easily confused with
- ようと思うN4「ようと思う」attaches to the volitional form and means the speaker intends to do something, while 「と思う」attaches to the plain form and expresses a judgment or guess. They are not interchangeable: 「行こうと思う」means 'I plan to go,' while 「行くと思う」means 'I think (someone) will go.'
- ような気がするN3「ような気がする」is a feeling-based judgment, vaguer than 「と思う」, and can also express a fuzzy memory of one's own past experience. After nouns, use 「の」rather than 「だ」. Use 「と思う」when you need to state your position clearly.
- と考えられるN2「と考えられる」is mostly used in written language such as papers and reports, making a relatively objective inference based on facts while downplaying personal involvement; 「と思う」is more colloquial and subjective, marking the statement as a personal opinion. 「と考えられている」can also mean 'it is generally thought that.'
- ものと思われるN1「ものと思われる」corresponds only to the guessing/judgment use of 「と思う」, with an objective, polite tone common in news and reports. After nouns, use 「である」rather than 「だ」. It cannot be used to ask for someone's opinion and sounds stiff in everyday conversation.
- だろうN5「だろう」is close to 「と思う」only in the sense of conjecture: it states an inference directly, sounds rather blunt in the plain form, and can be said with a rising intonation to seek confirmation. It does not add だ after nouns or な-adjectives (「雨だろう」), whereas 「と思う」requires だ.
- ではあるまいかN1「ではあるまいか」is a literary written expression. It politely conjectures 'I'm afraid it is probably...' using a negative form, and can also subtly advance a claim. Verbs and い-adjectives take 「の」before it, while nouns attach directly; unlike 「と思う」, it does not add 「だ」in the present affirmative.
「と思う」expresses the speaker's subjective judgment about a situation. The patterns below differ in degree of certainty, formality, or grammatical attachment.
