Grammar › Core Patterns
〜と思います — “I think that…”
Softening an opinion: 明日は雨だと思います — I think it'll rain tomorrow
Plain form + と思います is the everyday way to voice an opinion or guess without sounding too blunt or certain. と here quotes the thought itself, and 思います (“I think”) comes right after — the mirror image of English word order.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain form + と思います | 明日は晴れると思います — I think it'll be sunny tomorrow |
| Noun/na-adj + だ + と思います | 彼は元気だと思います — I think he's doing well |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この映画は面白いと思います。 | このえいがはおもしろいとおもいます。 konoeigahaomoshiroitoomoimasu。 | I think this movie is interesting. |
| 明日は雨だと思います。 | あしたはあめだとおもいます。 ashitahaamedatoomoimasu。 | I think it'll rain tomorrow. |
| 彼女はもう帰ったと思います。 | かのじょはもうかえったとおもいます。 kanojohamoukaettatoomoimasu。 | I think she's already gone home. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
The verb comes right before と (plain form), not at the very end — new learners often try to bolt 思います onto an already-polite です/ます sentence, but the clause before と should stay in plain form.