/penˈsaɾ/
Translation
to think, to plan
Word origin
From Latin pensare ('to weigh, to ponder, to consider'), a frequentative of pendere ('to weigh').
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- pensare
- English cognates
- pensive, ponder, pension
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular spanish-irregular conjugation. Pronouns: yo, tú, él/ella/ud., nos., vos., ellos/uds..
Indicative
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | pienso | pensé | pensaba | pensaré | pensaría |
| tú | piensas | pensaste | pensabas | pensarás | pensarías |
| él/ella/ud. | piensa | pensó | pensaba | pensará | pensaría |
| nos. | pensamos | pensamos | pensábamos | pensaremos | pensaríamos |
| vos. | pensáis | pensasteis | pensabais | pensaréis | pensaríais |
| ellos/uds. | piensan | pensaron | pensaban | pensarán | pensarían |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect (-ra) | Imperfect (-se) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | piense | pensara | pensase |
| tú | pienses | pensaras | pensases |
| él/ella/ud. | piense | pensara | pensase |
| nos. | pensemos | pensáramos | pensásemos |
| vos. | penséis | pensarais | pensaseis |
| ellos/uds. | piensen | pensaran | pensasen |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tú | piensa |
| ud. | piense |
| nosotros | pensemos |
| vosotros | pensad |
| uds. | piensen |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- pensando
- Past participle
- pensado
Examples
.
I need time to think before deciding.
¿ ?
What are you thinking about right now?
.
I think we should talk to him first.
México.
I thought about you a lot during the trip to Mexico.
¿ ?
Have you thought of a name for the baby yet?
He thought, she thought: pensar in the preterite
If you arrived here looking for "he thought in Spanish", the answer is . "She thought" is also - Spanish preterite endings mark person and number, not gender, so he and she share a form and context does the rest. The full set for a single completed act of thinking:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I thought | |
| you thought () | |
| he thought / she thought | |
| you thought () | |
| we thought | |
| you thought () | |
| they thought / you thought () |
Two things trip learners up. First, the accents are load-bearing: penso (no accent) is not a word, and pensó without its accent collapses into a present-tense misreading. Second, English "thought" covers two Spanish tenses. A one-off, completed thought takes the preterite above: pensé que era tarde (I thought it was late, in that moment). A background state or habit takes the imperfect : pensaba que era tarde (I was under the impression it was late). When in doubt about a belief you held over time, pensaba is usually the honest choice.
To say thought ABOUT something, pensar takes en: pensé en ti (I thought about you), never a bare pensé ti.
The same "translation question, conjugation answer" pattern covers the other verbs people search this way: "he said" is dijo, from decir, and "he went" is fue, from ir (a form it shares, confusingly, with ser). The complete pensar tables for every tense, including the e to ie stem change in the present (pienso, piensas), are in the conjugation section above.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(38)¿Vienes o no?
1 min read · Core 1000
Pedro conoce a alguien
2 min read · Core 5000
Alguien que lo haya visto
3 min read · Core 5000
Cinco mil palabras después
3 min read · Core 5000
Cuando llegué, ya había pasado
3 min read · Core 5000
Cuanto más espero, peor
3 min read · Core 5000
El autobús perdido
3 min read · Core 1000
La conductora de la ambulancia
3 min read · Core 5000
El correo a la jefa
3 min read · Core 5000
El mejor café de la calle
3 min read · Core 5000
El nuevo doctor de Paula
3 min read · Core 1000
El trabajo de Pedro
3 min read · Core 1000
En el médico
3 min read · Core 1000
Es importante que descanses
3 min read · Core 5000
Espero que vengáis
3 min read · Core 5000
La aventura de Sofía
3 min read · Core 5000
La fábrica de madera
3 min read · Core 5000
La habitación libre
3 min read · Core 5000
La promesa de Lucía
3 min read · Core 5000
Laura busca piso
3 min read · Core 5000
Le hice arreglar el coche
3 min read · Core 5000
Lo que de verdad importa
3 min read · Core 5000
María lleva una hora esperando
3 min read · Core 5000
Media docena de huevos
3 min read · Core 5000
Menudo desastre
3 min read · Core 5000
No creo que sea grave
3 min read · Core 5000
No estoy embarazada
3 min read · Core 5000
No fue él, sino ella
3 min read · Core 5000
Por lo tanto, decidimos
3 min read · Core 5000
Se me cayó todo
3 min read · Core 5000
Se vende la camioneta
3 min read · Core 5000
Una mañana en el mercado
3 min read · Core 1000
Una organización imposible
3 min read · Core 5000
Una tarde de lluvia
3 min read · Core 1000
El primer día de Laura
4 min read · Core 1000
La cena de los Pereira
4 min read · Core 1000
Los puestos del sábado
4 min read · Core 1000
Palabras de cocina
5 min read · Core 1000
Grammar articles
(12)Conjugating Spanish -ar Verbs in the Present Tense
Spanish Verb Conjugation: The Complete Rules with Examples
Spanish Imperative: Affirmative Tú Commands and the Eight Irregulars
The Spanish Infinitive as a Noun and After Prepositions (antes de salir, al llegar)
Spanish Noun Suffixes: -ción, -dad, -miento, -eza (and the gender each gives)
Spanish Compound Prepositions and Tricky Choices: delante de, a pesar de, soñar con
Spanish Prepositions: de, a, en, con, por, para and the Two Contractions
The Spanish Present Progressive: estar + gerundio, and Why It Is Not the English -ing
The Spanish Present Subjunctive: Forms, the Opposite-Vowel Rule, and Practice
Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs: e>ie, o>ue, e>i and the Boot Pattern
Subjunctive vs Indicative in Spanish: Doubt, Denial and the Negation Flip
Verbs with Prepositions in Spanish (Régimen Preposicional): the Fixed Verb + Preposition Pairs
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pensar: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Spanish word "pensar" (to think, to plan): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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