Overvejer

Overvejer is a Danish verb in the present tense meaning to consider or to deliberate about something, often with the nuance of weighing pros and cons. The base infinitive form is at overveje. Its past tense is overvejede, and the perfect participle is overvejet, formed with har overvejet in compound tenses. In everyday use, overvejer describes a considered, deliberate process rather than a casual thought.

The verb is commonly used with a direct object, as in jeg overvejer tilbuddet (I am considering the offer), or with an infinitive clause, as in jeg overvejer at skifte job (I am considering changing jobs). It can also take a noun phrase that expresses the matter being weighed, for example: han overvejer muligheden (he is weighing the possibility). The construction at overveje of an action, overveje at gøre noget, is the standard way to express weighing whether to undertake an action.

Etymology-wise, overvejer is formed from the prefix over-, meaning thoroughly or excessively, attached to the verb veje, meaning to weigh or assess. The sense is to weigh something thoroughly in the mind before making a decision. In usage, overvejer is common in formal and semi-formal writing, political discourse, and business communication, where careful decision-making is emphasized. Related nouns include overvejelse (a consideration) and overvejelsesproces (the process of deliberation).