denke

Denke is the first-person singular present tense form of the German verb denken, meaning "to think." It is used with the subject ich to express a current belief, opinion, or consideration. The present tense forms are: ich denke, du denkst, er denkt, wir denken, ihr denkt, sie denken. The infinitive is denken; the simple past is dachte, and the present perfect is habe gedacht.

In use, denke commonly introduces personal opinions or conclusions. Examples: Ich denke, dass wir pünktlich sein sollten. Er denkt oft über die Zukunft nach. Denke daran, dass Risiken abgewogen werden müssen. The verb also appears in many idioms and with prepositions, such as denken an (to think of) and daran denken (to remember to).

Etymology and cognates: denken comes from Old High German denken and is related to Dutch denken and English think, all traced to the broader Germanic root for thinking and cognition. The form denke reflects regular German spelling and morphology.

Usage notes: denken is a core verb in everyday language and contrasts with glauben, which emphasizes belief rather than reasoning. As with many German verbs, tense and mood alter its form, while the meaning remains centered on cognitive processes—thinking, considering, or reflecting.

In summary, denke primarily serves as the present tense form of denken for ich, forming a key part of everyday expression about thoughts, opinions, and mental processes in German.