To Omou: Express an Opinion or Prediction

A plain proposition followed by と思う presents what someone thinks. 明日は雨だと思います contains a plain noun proposition and a polite final verb. It reports a belief rather than proving that the belief is correct.

Formation and use

Verbs and i-adjectives attach in plain form: 行くと思う, 高いと思う. Nouns and na-adjectives need だ in affirmative non-past: 学生だと思う, 静かだと思う.

The proposition can be negative or past: 行かないと思います, 行ったと思います. Change the embedded clause to change what is believed; change 思う to describe the thinking event.

Comparisons and common errors

行かないと思います means thinking the person will not go. 行くとは思いません means not holding the belief that they will go; these can differ in strength and implication. Do not move negation mechanically.

The speaker’s own current view is common with 思います. Reporting another person’s view needs an appropriate context or wording, such as と思っています. Do not claim direct access to an unexpressed private thought.

Practise with explanations

Try the 10 questions below, or open the practice set. Check each answer or the whole set, read the explanation, and retry mistakes. First-attempt results are kept separately on this device.

Connected lessons

• Plain and Polite Japanese: Forms, Tense, and Context
• To Iu: Quote Speech and Say What Something Is Called
• Desu and Da: Noun Sentences, Negatives, and Past