I don’t think (that) he’ll …
I think (that) he won’t …
I don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space.
Penso che la razza umana non sopravviverà per i prossimi mille anni a meno che non espanderemo nello spazio.
– Stephen Hawking
Penso che la razza umana non sopravviverà per i prossimi mille anni a meno che non espanderemo nello spazio.
– Stephen Hawking
✓ I don’t think (that) he’ll be interested.
✗ I *think (that) he won’t be* interested.
Credo che non sarà interessato.
Generally speaking, in English we don’t use think in the affirmative form followed by a verb in the negative form. Some more examples:
✓ I don’t think this is the right job for me.
✗ I *think this isn’t* the right job for me.
Credo che non sia il lavoro giusto per me.
✓ We don’t think that interest rates will rise before the end of the year.
✗ We *think that interest rates won’t rise* before the end of the year.
Pensiamo che i tassi d’interesse non saliranno prima della fine dell’anno.
Notice that a number of other verbs typically follow the same pattern. The most common are believe, imagine and suppose. For example:
✓ We don’t believe the government will raise taxes.
Crediamo che il governo non aumenterà le tasse.
✓ I don’t imagine it’ll be a problem.
Penso che non sarà un problema.
✓ I don’t suppose I’ll see you again.
Immagino che non ti vedrò più.
Now try the quiz below! There are FIFTEEN answers. The pass mark is 85% (13 out of 15). Click on the blue arrows to go to the next or previous question. You can check your answers immediately or when you’ve finished the quiz.