Choose a verb for what your mind is doing: considering an issue, forming an opinion or taking something to be true. Some opinion sentences allow both verbs.
The idea
Use düşünmek for reflection: bu konu hakkında düşünüyorum means you are thinking about this issue. With an action, taşınmayı düşünüyorum means you are considering moving. It also introduces an opinion: işe yaradığını düşünüyorum. Use sanmak for an assumption: kutuyu boş sandım means you thought the box was empty. With a statement, both verbs can fit: işe yaradığını sanıyorum presents an assumption, while düşünüyorum presents your view. This is a difference in emphasis, not a fixed scale of certainty.
Examples
- Şimdi bu soruyu düşünüyorum.I am thinking about this question now.
- Ben kutuyu boş sandım.I thought the box was empty.
- Biz taşınmayı düşünüyoruz.We are considering moving house.
- Bu planın işe yaradığını düşünüyorum.I think this plan works.
- Bu planın işe yaradığını sanıyorum.I suppose this plan works.
- Kutuyu boş sandım, ama içinde iki fincan vardı.I thought the box was empty, but there were two cups inside.
- Sanırım fırın hâlâ açık.I think the bakery is still open.
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Watch out
Do not translate every use of English “think” with sanmak: bu konu hakkında sanıyorum does not express thinking an issue over. Nor does sanmak always mean a mistake. In Kutuyu boş sandım, ama doluydu, the second part confirms the error; Sanırım fırın hâlâ açık leaves the assumption open.
Try it yourself
Complete the sentence about thinking an issue over before making a decision.
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düşünüyorum
düşünüyorum: the speaker is working through an issue and has not decided yet. The phrase bu konu hakkında names the topic of reflection, not a fact being assumed.
Complete the mistaken assumption about the listener's profession: a teacher, not a doctor.
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sandım
sandım: the speaker took the listener to be a doctor. The correction says the listener is a teacher, so this is a mistaken identification, not time spent considering that person.
Complete the sentence about considering staying home at the weekend.
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düşünüyorum
düşünüyorum: staying home is an action the speaker is considering for the weekend. The phrase evde kalmayı names that possible plan.
Express an opinion or an assumption about whether this solution is suitable.
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düşünüyorum / sanıyorum
düşünüyorum / sanıyorum: both complete the sentence. The first presents an opinion about the solution's suitability; the second presents an assumption. Nothing in the prompt requires one degree of confidence.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete the sentence about thinking an issue over before making a decision.
Complete the mistaken assumption about the listener's profession: a teacher, not a doctor.
Complete the sentence about considering staying home at the weekend.
Express an opinion or an assumption about whether this solution is suitable.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write one sentence about a decision you are considering and one about an assumption you corrected. Then express the same opinion with each verb and describe the shift. Use the linked verb lesson for forms.