denken
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch denken, from Old Dutch thenken, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *teng-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdɛŋkə(n)/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: den‧ken
- Rhymes: -ɛŋkən
Verb
denken
- (intransitive) to think [+ aan (object) = about, of]
Inflection
| Inflection of denken (weak with past in -cht) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | denken | |||
| past singular | dacht | |||
| past participle | gedacht | |||
| infinitive | denken | |||
| gerund | denken n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | denk | dacht | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | denkt | dacht | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | denkt | dacht | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | denkt | dacht | ||
| 3rd person singular | denkt | dacht | ||
| plural | denken | dachten | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | denke | dachte | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | denken | dachten | ||
| imperative sing. | denk | |||
| imperative plur.1 | denkt | |||
| participles | denkend | gedacht | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
Derived terms
- achterdenken
- bedenken
- denker
- doordenken
- gedenken
- herdenken
- indenken
- meedenken
- nadenken
- overdenken
- terugdenken
- toedenken
- uitdenken
- verdenken
- vooruitdenken
- wegdenken
- wensdenken
- denkfout
- kruispuntdenken
Descendants
- Afrikaans: dink, denk
- Jersey Dutch: dänke
- Negerhollands: denk, dink, diṅk, diṅg, diṅ
- → Aukan: denki
- → Sranan Tongo: denki
- → Caribbean Javanese: dèngki
- → Saramaccan: tínga
Anagrams
- kenden, kneden
German
Etymology
From Middle High German denken, from Old High German thenken, denken, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *teng-. Cognate with Dutch denken, Low German denken, dinken, West Frisian tinke, English think, Icelandic þekkja.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdɛŋkən/, [ˈdɛŋkən], [ˈdɛŋʔŋ̍]
audio (Germany) (file) audio (Germany) (file) audio (Germany) (file) audio (Austria) (file)
Verb
denken (irregular weak, third-person singular present denkt, past tense dachte, past participle gedacht, past subjunctive dächte, auxiliary haben)
- (intransitive, [an (about) + accusative], rarely transitive) to think
- Ich denke, also bin ich.
- I think, therefore I am.
- Er denkt gewichtige Dinge.
- He is thinking weighty thoughts.
- Ich denke an früher.
- I am thinking about the past.
- (intransitive, with an + accusative) not to forget; to remember (to bring along, etc.)
- Denk an den Schlüssel!
- Don’t forget the key.
- (transitive, with reflexive dative) to imagine
- Das kann ich mir denken.
- I can imagine that.
- Ich denke ihn mir als bärtigen Einsiedler.
- I imagine him as a bearded hermit.
- (transitive, with reflexive dative) to think, to believe, to assume, to conjecture
- Ja, das dachte ich mir.
- Yes, I thought so.
Usage notes
Denken originally took a genitive object (ich denke deiner instead of ich denke an dich). This usage is now archaic.
Conjugation
| infinitive | denken | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | denkend | ||||
| past participle | gedacht | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| present | ich denke | wir denken | i | ich denke | wir denken |
| du denkst | ihr denkt | du denkest | ihr denket | ||
| er denkt | sie denken | er denke | sie denken | ||
| preterite | ich dachte | wir dachten | ii | ich dächte1 | wir dächten1 |
| du dachtest | ihr dachtet | du dächtest1 | ihr dächtet1 | ||
| er dachte | sie dachten | er dächte1 | sie dächten1 | ||
| imperative | denk (du) denke (du) | denkt (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
| perfect | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indicative | ich habe gedacht | wir haben gedacht | subjunctive | ich habe gedacht | wir haben gedacht |
| du hast gedacht | ihr habt gedacht | du habest gedacht | ihr habet gedacht | ||
| er hat gedacht | sie haben gedacht | er habe gedacht | sie haben gedacht | ||
| pluperfect | |||||
| indicative | ich hatte gedacht | wir hatten gedacht | subjunctive | ich hätte gedacht | wir hätten gedacht |
| du hattest gedacht | ihr hattet gedacht | du hättest gedacht | ihr hättet gedacht | ||
| er hatte gedacht | sie hatten gedacht | er hätte gedacht | sie hätten gedacht | ||
| future i | |||||
| infinitive | denken werden | subjunctive i | ich werde denken | wir werden denken | |
| du werdest denken | ihr werdet denken | ||||
| er werde denken | sie werden denken | ||||
| indicative | ich werde denken | wir werden denken | subjunctive ii | ich würde denken | wir würden denken |
| du wirst denken | ihr werdet denken | du würdest denken | ihr würdet denken | ||
| er wird denken | sie werden denken | er würde denken | sie würden denken | ||
| future ii | |||||
| infinitive | gedacht haben werden | subjunctive i | ich werde gedacht haben | wir werden gedacht haben | |
| du werdest gedacht haben | ihr werdet gedacht haben | ||||
| er werde gedacht haben | sie werden gedacht haben | ||||
| indicative | ich werde gedacht haben | wir werden gedacht haben | subjunctive ii | ich würde gedacht haben | wir würden gedacht haben |
| du wirst gedacht haben | ihr werdet gedacht haben | du würdest gedacht haben | ihr würdet gedacht haben | ||
| er wird gedacht haben | sie werden gedacht haben | er würde gedacht haben | sie würden gedacht haben | ||
Hyponyms
- andenken
- ausdenken
- durchdenken
- hinterdenken
- mitdenken
- nachdenken
- überdenken
- umdenken
- vordenken
- zurückdenken
Derived terms
- bedenken
- denkbar
- Denke
- Denken
- denkend
- Denker
- denkste (“that's what you think!”)
- Denkung
- erdenken
- gedacht
- gedenken
- verdenken
Related terms
- Bedacht
- bedächtig
- Denkaufgabe
- Denkfabrik
- denkfaul
- Denkmal
- Denkmuster
- Denkweise
- denkwürdig
Further reading
- “denken” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “denken” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “denken” in Duden online
- “denken” in OpenThesaurus.de
denken on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de
Low German
Alternative forms
- dinken
Etymology
From Old Saxon thenkian, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *teng-.
Verb
denken (third-person singular simple present denkt, past tense dach, past participle dacht, auxiliary verb hebben)
- to think
Conjugation
| infinitive | denken | |
|---|---|---|
| indicative | present | preterite |
| 1st person singular | denk | dach |
| 2nd person singular | denks(t) | dachs(t) |
| 3rd person singular | denk(t) | dach |
| plural | denkt, denken | dachen |
| imperative | present | — |
| singular | denk(e) | |
| plural | denkt | |
| participle | present | past |
| denken | (e)dacht, gedacht | |
| Note: This conjugation is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects. | ||
Luxembourgish
Etymology
From Middle High German denken, from Old High German denken, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdæŋken/, [ˈdæŋ.kən]
Verb
denken (third-person singular present denkt, preterite duecht or duet, past participle geduecht or geduet, past subjunctive diecht, auxiliary verb hunn)
- to think
Conjugation
| Irregular with past tense | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | denken | |||
| participle | geduecht | |||
| auxiliary | hunn | |||
| present indicative | past indicative | conditional | imperative | |
| 1st singular | denken | duecht | diecht | — |
| 2nd singular | denks | duechts | diechts | denk |
| 3rd singular | denkt | duecht | diecht | — |
| 1st plural | denken | duechten | diechten | — |
| 2nd plural | denkt | duecht | diecht | denkt |
| 3rd plural | denken | duechten | diechten | — |
| (n) or (nn) indicates the Eifeler Regel. | ||||
Derived terms
- ausdenken
- bedenken
- ëmdenken
- gedenken
- iwwerdenken
- nodenken
- verdenken
- zeréckdenken
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch thenken, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdeŋkən/
Verb
denken
- to think
Inflection
| Weak | ||
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | denken | |
| 3rd sg. past | — | |
| 3rd pl. past | — | |
| Past participle | — | |
| Infinitive | denken | |
| In genitive | denkens | |
| In dative | denkene | |
| Indicative | Present | Past |
| 1st singular | denke | — |
| 2nd singular | dencs, denkes | — |
| 3rd singular | denct, denket | — |
| 1st plural | denken | — |
| 2nd plural | denct, denket | — |
| 3rd plural | denken | — |
| Subjunctive | Present | Past |
| 1st singular | denke | — |
| 2nd singular | dencs, denkes | — |
| 3rd singular | denke | — |
| 1st plural | denken | — |
| 2nd plural | denct, denket | — |
| 3rd plural | denken | — |
| Imperative | Present | |
| Singular | denc, denke | |
| Plural | denct, denket | |
| Present | Past | |
| Participle | denkende | — |
Alternative forms
- dinken
Derived terms
- bedenken
- erdenken
- gedenken
- herdenken
- verdenken
- voldenken
Descendants
- Dutch: denken
- Afrikaans: dink, denk
- Jersey Dutch: dänke
- Negerhollands: denk, dink, diṅk, diṅg, diṅ
- → Aukan: denki
- → Sranan Tongo: denki
- → Caribbean Javanese: dèngki
- → Saramaccan: tínga
- Limburgish: dinke
Further reading
- “denken (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “denken”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Middle Low German
Etymology
From Old Saxon thenkian, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną. Cognate with Dutch denken and English think.
Pronunciation
- (originally) IPA(key): /deŋkən/
Verb
denken
- to think, to perceive
Related terms
- andenken
Descendants
- Low German: denken, dinken
- → Old Norse: þenkja
- Faroese: teinkja
- Norwegian: tenke
- Old Swedish: þænkia
- Swedish: tänka
- Old Danish: thænkæ
- Danish: tænke
- Westrobothnian: taaintj
- Elfdalian: taintja
- Gutnish: tänke
- Scanian: tæńḱa
Mòcheno
Etymology
From Middle High German denken, from Old High German denken, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to perceive, think”). Cognate with German denken, English think.
Verb
denken
- to think
References
- “denken” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną, akin to Old Saxon thenkian, Old Dutch thenken, Old English þencan, Old Norse þekkja, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þagkjan).
Verb
denken
- to think
Conjugation
| infinitive | denken | |
|---|---|---|
| indicative | present | past |
| 1st person singular | denku | dahta |
| 2nd person singular | denkis | dahtos |
| 3rd person singular | denkit | dahta |
| 1st person plural | denkem, denkemes | dahtum, dahtumes |
| 2nd person plural | denket | dahtut |
| 3rd person plural | denkent | dahtun |
| subjunctive | present | past |
| 1st person singular | denke | dahti |
| 2nd person singular | denkes | dahtis |
| 3rd person singular | denke | dahti |
| 1st person plural | denkem, denkemes | dahtim, dahtimes |
| 2nd person plural | denket | dahtit |
| 3rd person plural | denken | dahtin |
| imperative | present | |
| singular | denki | |
| plural | denket | |
| participle | present | past |
| denkenti | gidaht | |
Descendants
- Middle High German: denken
- Alemannic German: tenke
- Bavarian:
- Cimbrian: dénkhan
- Mòcheno: denken
- German: denken
- Yiddish: דענקען (denken)