فکر می‌کنم

What it means

فکر می‌کنم (fekr mikonam) means “I think.” It is a compound verb pairing فکر (fekr, “thought,” Arabic loan) with the light verb کردن (kardan, “to do”). The literal sense is “I do thought.”

Used to hedge opinions, guess, or soften statements.

How to use it

• فکر می‌کنم بارون بیاد (fekr mikonam bârun biyâd) “I think it’ll rain”
• فکر می‌کنی درسته؟ (fekr mikoni doroste?) “Do you think it’s right?”
• فکر کردم رفتی (fekr kardam rafti) “I thought you’d left”

Compound structure

Noun + light verb: فکر (fekr, thought) + کردن (kardan, to do).

• present_1sg: فکر می‌کنم (fekr mikonam) “I think”
• past_1sg: فکر کردم (fekr kardam) “I thought”
• imperative_2sg: فکر کن (fekr kon) “think!”

Cultural note

Iranians lean on fekr mikonam to dodge sounding too certain. Stating a flat opinion can feel pushy, especially with elders. Wrap it in fekr mikonam and you sound thoughtful, not bossy. The colloquial contraction فکر کنم (fekr konam) drops the می‌, very common in Tehran speech.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab