〜と思う

〜と思う expresses I think ~ — a pattern for reporting thoughts, speech, and mental activities. Japanese quotation patterns allow you to embed one person's perspective within your own statement, which is essential for natural storytelling and reported speech.

This is an intermediate pattern used regularly in everyday Japanese conversation and writing.

When to Use#

• When expressing your personal opinion or thought
• When softening a statement with "I think"

When NOT to Use#

• In very formal writing where a more sophisticated expression would be expected

Example Sentences#

• みんな喜ぶと思います。 — I think everyone will be happy.
• 早く帰った方がいいと思います。 — I think we should go home early.
• 彼はパーティーに来ると思います。 — I think he will come to the party.

Practice#

Try reading these sentences aloud, then check the translation and vocabulary:

Common Mistakes#

1. Direct translation from English — The concept expressed by 〜と思う may not map one-to-one with its English translation. Focus on understanding the Japanese usage through example sentences rather than relying on the English gloss.

Related Patterns#

• 〜かどうか (whether or not) — Next step