funderar

Funderar is a Swedish verb meaning to think about something carefully, to ponder, or to consider. It is commonly used to express ongoing or tentative reflection rather than a firm decision. In present tense it appears as funderar, with forms such as jag funderar, du funderar, han/hon funderar, vi funderar, ni funderar, de funderar. The infinitive is fundera, and the past tense is funderade; the perfect form uses har funderat.

Common constructions include fundera på and fundera över, followed by a noun or a clause. For example, Jag funderar på att köpa en bil (I am thinking about buying a car) or Hon funderar över vad hon ska göra i sommar (She is pondering what to do this summer). Funderar often signals uncertainty or deliberation, and it is frequently used in questions to elicit consideration, as in Vad funderar du på? or Vad funderar du över?

Nuances and related terms: fundera expresses a more reflective or exploratory process than dacht or vanligt tänkande. Synonyms include grubla, reflektera, and överväga, though överväga can imply a more deliberate decision. Tanken är att använda fundera när man vill uttrycka en pågående eller ofärdig tankeprocess snarare än ett slutgilt beslut.

Etymology: The exact origin is uncertain, but fundera is a native Swedish verb with cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Norwegian fundere and Danish fundere.