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If:

Ich glaube = I believe
Ich denke = I think
Ich verstehe = I understand

Then is it simply:

Ich glaube ich verstehe. (I believe I understand)
Or: Ich denke ich verstehe.

Or must you not omit the that?

Ich glaube dass ich verstehe. (I believe that I understand)
Or: Ich denke dass ich verstehe.

And finally, the comma is required yes?

Ich denke, dass ich verstehe.

Ich denke, dass ich muss etwas bier trinken … ?

Wrzlprmft
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Tom
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1 Answers1

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Two subjects, two verbs -> two clauses...

'Ich glaube (denke), ich verstehe'

is short for

'Ich glaube (denke), dass ich verstehe'

Because of the same subject in main-clause and sub-clause it wouldn't be necessary to use a conjugated verb in the sub-clause. An infinitive-construction would do the trick. So in 'proper' German I would say:

  • Ich glaube zu verstehen!

If this all were in a colloquial speech you could also say:

  • (Ah), verstehe!

Although this sounds more like you are pretty sure if you don't use a rather questioning tone. There is some tiny little doubt or hesitation in 'ich glaube (denke)...'

mramosch
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  • "Because of the same subject in main-clause and sub-clause it wouldn't be necessary to use a conjugated verb in the sub-clause." Does this mean for "I think he is eating" you would conjugate "eating" but not if you said "I think I am eating"? (I.e. "Ich denke, dass er isst", "Ich denke, dass ich essen", but NOT "Ich denke, dass ich esse" ?) – Tom Sep 17 '15 at 08:12
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    @Tom: There are some verbs that transfer the 'right' (to take part in the correspondence check between main-clause and sub-clause) to the object, but 'think' is not one of them. So e.g. 'Ich* glaube zu träumen'* means 'Ich* glaube, dass ich träume'. But verbs of sensory perception do, e.g. 'Ich höre ihn die Stiege herunter kommen'* means 'Ich höre, dass er* die Stiege herunter kommt'. - So 'Ich glaube, dass ich esse'* is correct - and so is 'Ich glaube zu essen'... – mramosch Sep 17 '15 at 09:41
  • @Tom: Of course, you don't say: '(Ah), essen...' like you can say '(Ah), verstehe...' ;-) – mramosch Sep 17 '15 at 09:43
  • Ah, verstehe! :) – Tom Sep 17 '15 at 10:42
  • @Tom: Now you really got it... ;-) – mramosch Sep 17 '15 at 10:46
  • Went looking for more info on "zu" and found this article that might be useful for others who stumble on here. I had read it before but didn't really understand it's application until now! Thanks for helping my understanding :) http://marathonsprachen.com/zu-is-more-than-a-just-a-preposition-using-zu-constructions/ – Tom Sep 17 '15 at 10:50
  • @Tom: Since the Phoenician have invented 'money' and StackEx 'rewards for the perfect answer' it is actually very easy to show one's appreciation... ;-) – mramosch Sep 17 '15 at 12:28