tänker + Infinitive
Intend To/plan to
Use tänker followed by a verb in its infinitive form to say you plan or intend to do something.
How It Works
The construction tänker + infinitive is a common way to express personal plans and intentions in Swedish. Translate the intention as 'I intend to' or 'I plan to'. Mere consideration can instead be expressed with tänka på or fundera på.
Key Points:
- Meaning: It focuses on the intention in the speaker's mind. It presents an intention; the degree of commitment comes from context rather than a fixed ranking against planerar att or ska. Compare this with kommer att (going to/will).
- Structure: The structure is straightforward: Subject +
tänker+ Infinitive Verb. Unlike many other constructions, the infinitive marker att is omitted. For example, you sayJag tänker resa(I plan to travel), notJag tänker att resa. - Past Tense: The past tense form,
tänkte, is very useful for talking about past intentions, especially plans that didn't happen. For example,Jag tänkte ringa dig, men jag glömde(I was going to call you, but I forgot).
Comparison with other future forms:
- tänker: Expresses a personal plan or intention. Ex:
Jag tänker städa mitt rum i helgen.(I plan to clean my room this weekend.) - ska: Can express a plan or arrangement, as well as other modal meanings. It is not invariably more definite than tänker. Ex:
Jag ska städa mitt rum i helgen.(I will/am going to clean my room this weekend.) - kommer att: Often used for predictions or outcomes that are seen as consequences, not just personal plans. Ex:
Om jag inte städar kommer det att bli stökigt.(If I don't clean, it's going to get messy.)
Tänker vs. Tänker på att
Be careful not to confuse tänker göra (plan to do) with tänker på att göra (am thinking about doing). Tänka på directs thought toward a topic or action; depending on context it can mean considering it or remembering to do it. Tänker göra directly presents an intention.
Ex: Jag tänker på att flytta till en ny stad. (I'm thinking about moving to a new city). The sentence does not establish how far the plans have progressed.
Ex: Jag tänker flytta till en ny stad. (I plan to move to a new city - it's my intention).
Time And Word Order
Tänkte can report an intention that was fulfilled or abandoned; the following context tells you which. It can also soften a current suggestion, as in Jag tänkte att vi kunde dricka kaffe nu. The past form alone does not mean the plan failed.
The subject-first pattern is only one word order: Vad tänker du göra? places the question word first, while I morgon tänker jag resa places a time phrase first. The action verb remains infinitive.
Examples (5)
- Jag tänker resa till Spanien i sommar.
I plan to travel to Spain this summer.
Word by Word: I intend travel to Spain in summer.
- Vad tänker du göra efter examen?
What do you plan to do after graduation?
Word by Word: What intend you do after graduation?
- Vi tänkte gå på bio, men biljetterna var slutsålda.
We were planning to go to the movies, but the tickets were sold out.
Word by Word: We intended go to cinema, but the tickets were sold-out.
Here, the past tense
tänkteis used to describe a past intention that did not come to fruition. - Hon tänker inte acceptera erbjudandet.
She does not intend to accept the offer.
Word by Word: She intends not accept the offer.
- De tänker starta ett eget företag nästa år.
They plan to start their own company next year.
Word by Word: They intend start an own company next year.
Common Mistakes
Unnecessarily adding 'att' after 'tänker'.
Jag tänker att köpa en ny bil.Jag tänker köpa en ny bil.For the intention construction taught here, use tänker köpa without infinitive att. A finite att-clause is different and valid: Jag tänkte att vi kunde köpa en bil. Do not remove att mechanically from every complement of tänka.
Confusing 'tänker' (intend) with 'tror' (believe/think).
Jag tror resa imorgon.Jag tänker resa imorgon.Tänkeris used for intentions and plans.Troris used for beliefs or guesses. To express a belief about a future action, you typically need a full clause, such asJag tror att jag ska resa imorgon(I think that I will travel tomorrow).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'tänker + infinitive', you need to understand how to conjugate the verb 'tänka' and recognize the pattern where a main verb is followed directly by an infinitive to express intention, similar to how modal verbs like 'kan' or 'vill' function.
- kanCan/be Able to
Understanding how auxiliary-like verbs (modals) are followed directly by an infinitive without 'att' is a necessary structural foundation for 'tänker + infinitive'.
Level 2 - Tense concepts
The learner needs to understand the concept of future intention versus present action to use this pattern correctly.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- ska/skallWill/shall
Both can present a plan. Tänker focuses on intention; ska has additional uses such as arrangements and obligations. Context determines commitment, so these forms are not a fixed weak-to-strong scale.
Level 2 - kommer attGoing to
Level 2Kommer attis also used for the future, but often for predictions or events seen as a natural consequence, rather than a personal plan. 'Det kommer att regna' (It's going to rain) is a prediction; 'Jag tänker ta med ett paraply' (I plan to bring an umbrella) is an intention. - attTo (Infinitive Marker)
Learn att from the particular construction: tänker resa uses a bare infinitive, whereas tänker på att resa includes an infinitive marker. In tänker att hon kommer, att introduces a finite clause instead.
Level 1 - försöka + InfinitiveTry to
Similar to
Level 4tänker + infinitive, this pattern uses a verb (försöka- to try) followed by an infinitive to describe the nature of an action.Tänkerdescribes the intention behind the action, whileförsökadescribes the attempt to perform it. - behöva + InfinitiveNeed to
Like
Level 4tänker,behöver(need to) is another verb that is followed by an infinitive. Both are part of a group of verbs that modify a main action verb, buttänkerexpresses a plan whilebehöverexpresses a necessity.
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Practice tänker + Infinitive in Bubblegum
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