Translation
to think, to plan
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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 right 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
(37)La lista de la abuela
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A Paula le duele todo
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Cuando llegué, ya había pasado
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Cuanto más espero, peor
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El partido de los sábados
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Espero que vengas
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La aventura de Sofía
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La cena de los Pereira
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La fiesta sorpresa
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La habitación libre
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La llamada
3 min read · Core 1000
La echo de menos
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Lleva toda la mañana
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Lo que dijo el médico
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Media docena de huevos
3 min read · Core 5000
Pasen y siéntense
3 min read · Core 5000
Pedro conoce a alguien
3 min read · Core 5000
Perdido en la ciudad
3 min read · Core 1000
Por lo tanto, decidimos
3 min read · Core 5000
Por todas partes
3 min read · Core 5000
Tú y tu hermano
3 min read · Core 5000
Una distribución imposible
3 min read · Core 5000
Una tarde de lluvia
3 min read · Core 1000
El café del barrio
4 min read · Core 1000
El primer día de Laura
4 min read · Core 1000
Laura busca piso
4 min read · Core 5000
Mis mensajes son privados
4 min read · Core 5000
Un secreto en Bogotá
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Una biblioteca de objetos
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El plato azul
5 min read · Core 5000
Hasta abril
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La lengua de la abuela
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Mi camino después del colegio
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Ochenta y nueve lunes
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Palabras de cocina
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Un viaje sin suerte
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Yo estuve allí
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Grammar articles
(14)Spanish -ar Verbs: Present Tense Conjugation Chart and List
Spanish -er Verbs: Present Tense Conjugation Chart and List
Spanish -ir Verbs: Present Tense Conjugation Chart and List
Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart: Every Tense, with Examples
Spanish Commands: the Imperative for Tú, Usted, Nosotros
The Spanish Infinitive as a Noun: al llegar, antes de salir
Spanish Negative Commands: no + Subjunctive for Every Person
Spanish Noun Suffixes and the Gender Each One Gives
Spanish Compound Prepositions: delante de, a pesar de
Basic Spanish Prepositions: de, a, en, con, por, para
Spanish Present Subjunctive: Forms, Irregulars and Practice
Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs: e>ie, o>ue, e>i Boot Verbs
Spanish Subjunctive vs Indicative: Doubt and Denial
Spanish Verbs with Prepositions: pensar en, soñar con
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Spanish · Free printables
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.
This word is taught in chapter 2, lesson 9: pensar, gracia, sentir and 11 more words.