Gondolni

Gondolni is a Hungarian verb meaning “to think.” It denotes the act of forming ideas, opinions, or considerations, and is used both when thinking about something and when expressing a belief or assumption in clauses introduced by hogy (that). The verb is common in everyday speech and can express anything from simple thought to tentative conclusions.

Etymology and related words: Gondolni is a native Hungarian verb derived from the noun gond, which means care, worry, or thought, combined with the derivational element -ol- and the infinitive suffix -ni. Related forms include gondolat (thought), gondolkodás (thinking), and gondolás (a mental act). The word belongs to the regular -ni verb family, with consistent stems across tenses.

Conjugation: In the present tense the forms are: én gondolok, te gondolsz, ő gondol, mi gondolunk, ti gondoltok, ők gondolnak. The simple past (indefinite) serves to describe a completed thought in the past: én gondoltam, te gondoltál, ő gondolta, mi gondoltunk, ti gondoltatok, ők gondoltak. Future tense in Hungarian is typically expressed with a future auxiliary, and a common construction is Gondolni fogok rá (I will think about it). The imperative forms include te gondolj, Ön gondoljon, ti gondoljatok, Önök gondoljanak.

Usage: Gondolni is used to indicate mental activity, to express beliefs or assumptions, and to introduce clauses with hogy: “Azt gondolom, hogy…” (I think that…); “Gondolod, hogy ez jó ötlet?” (Do you think this is a good idea?). It is often contrasted with gondolkodni, which emphasizes deeper or more sustained thinking.

See also: gondolat, gondolkodás, gondolkodni.