What does pensar mean in English?

Pensar means "to think" in English.

How do you conjugate pensar in Spanish?

Pensar is conjugated across all Spanish tenses including present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, subjunctive, and more. Each tense has specific conjugations for yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, and ellos/ustedes. You can see complete conjugation tables with audio pronunciations on this page.

What are common idiomatic expressions with pensar?

Common idiomatic expressions using pensar include: "pensar en" (to think about), "pensar de" (to think of / to have an opinion about), "sin pensar" (without thinking). These expressions are frequently used in everyday Spanish conversation.

What should I know about using pensar?

Pensar is a stem-changing verb: e→ie in stressed syllables (pienso, piensas)

What verbs are related to pensar?

Verbs related to pensar include: repensar. These verbs share similar meanings, stems, or conjugation patterns.

How do you use pensar in a sentence?

Example: "Pienso en ti todos los días." which means "I think about you every day." in English.

What are synonyms for pensar?

Spanish synonyms for pensar include: reflexionar, considerar, meditar. The exact synonym to use depends on the context and specific meaning intended.

Pensar

to think

🎯

Infinitive (infinitivo)

Base form of the verb

pensar

🏃

Gerund (gerundio)

Present participle (-ing form)

pensando

📋

Past Participle

Used in compound tenses

pensado

Simple Tenses

⚡

Present Indicative (presente de indicativo)

Present actions and habitual activities

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	pienso I think	I think
tú	piensas you think	you think
él/ella/usted	piensa he/she/you thinks	he/she/you thinks
nosotros	pensamos we think	we think
vosotros	pensáis you all think	you all think
ellos/ustedes	piensan they/you all think	they/you all think

🕰️

Imperfect Indicative (imperfecto de indicativo)

Ongoing past actions and descriptions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	pensaba I used to think	I used to think
tú	pensabas you used to think	you used to think
él/ella/usted	pensaba he/she/you used to think	he/she/you used to think
nosotros	pensábamos we used to think	we used to think
vosotros	pensabais you all used to think	you all used to think
ellos/ustedes	pensaban they/you all used to think	they/you all used to think

📅

Preterit (pretérito)

Completed past actions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	pensé I thought	I thought
tú	pensaste you thought	you thought
él/ella/usted	pensó he/she/you thought	he/she/you thought
nosotros	pensamos we thought	we thought
vosotros	pensasteis you all thought	you all thought
ellos/ustedes	pensaron they/you all thought	they/you all thought

🔮

Future (futuro)

Future actions and intentions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	pensaré I will think	I will think
tú	pensarás you will think	you will think
él/ella/usted	pensará he/she/you will think	he/she/you will think
nosotros	pensaremos we will think	we will think
vosotros	pensaréis you all will think	you all will think
ellos/ustedes	pensarán they/you all will think	they/you all will think

🎯

Conditional (potencial simple)

Hypothetical and conditional actions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	pensaría I would think	I would think
tú	pensarías you would think	you would think
él/ella/usted	pensaría he/she/you would think	he/she/you would think
nosotros	pensaríamos we would think	we would think
vosotros	pensaríais you all would think	you all would think
ellos/ustedes	pensarían they/you all would think	they/you all would think

💭

Present Subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo)

Subjective present actions and desires

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	piense that I think	that I think
tú	pienses that you think	that you think
él/ella/usted	piense that he/she/you think	that he/she/you think
nosotros	pensemos that we think	that we think
vosotros	penséis that you all think	that you all think
ellos/ustedes	piensen that they/you all think	that they/you all think

🌙

Imperfect Subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective past actions and hypothetical situations

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	pensara or pensase that I thought	that I thought
tú	pensaras or pensases that you thought	that you thought
él/ella/usted	pensara or pensase that he/she/you thought	that he/she/you thought
nosotros	pensáramos or pensásemos that we thought	that we thought
vosotros	pensarais or pensaseis that you all thought	that you all thought
ellos/ustedes	pensaran or pensasen that they/you all thought	that they/you all thought

Compound Tenses

✅

Present Perfect (perfecto de indicativo)

Actions completed recently or with present relevance

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	he pensado I have thought	I have thought
tú	has pensado you have thought	you have thought
él/ella/usted	ha pensado he/she/you have thought	he/she/you have thought
nosotros	hemos pensado we have thought	we have thought
vosotros	habéis pensado you all have thought	you all have thought
ellos/ustedes	han pensado they/you all have thought	they/you all have thought

⏪

Pluperfect Indicative (pluscuamperfecto de indicativo)

Actions completed before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	había pensado I had thought	I had thought
tú	habías pensado you had thought	you had thought
él/ella/usted	había pensado he/she/you had thought	he/she/you had thought
nosotros	habíamos pensado we had thought	we had thought
vosotros	habíais pensado you all had thought	you all had thought
ellos/ustedes	habían pensado they/you all had thought	they/you all had thought

📍

Preterit Perfect (pretérito anterior)

Actions completed immediately before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	hube pensado I had thought	I had thought
tú	hubiste pensado you had thought	you had thought
él/ella/usted	hubo pensado he/she/you had thought	he/she/you had thought
nosotros	hubimos pensado we had thought	we had thought
vosotros	hubisteis pensado you all had thought	you all had thought
ellos/ustedes	hubieron pensado they/you all had thought	they/you all had thought

🎊

Future Perfect (futuro perfecto)

Actions that will be completed by a future time

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	habré pensado I will have thought	I will have thought
tú	habrás pensado you will have thought	you will have thought
él/ella/usted	habrá pensado he/she/you will have thought	he/she/you will have thought
nosotros	habremos pensado we will have thought	we will have thought
vosotros	habréis pensado you all will have thought	you all will have thought
ellos/ustedes	habrán pensado they/you all will have thought	they/you all will have thought

🔄

Conditional Perfect (potencial compuesto)

Actions that would have been completed under certain conditions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	habría pensado I would have thought	I would have thought
tú	habrías pensado you would have thought	you would have thought
él/ella/usted	habría pensado he/she/you would have thought	he/she/you would have thought
nosotros	habríamos pensado we would have thought	we would have thought
vosotros	habríais pensado you all would have thought	you all would have thought
ellos/ustedes	habrían pensado they/you all would have thought	they/you all would have thought

💫

Subjunctive Present Perfect (perfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective actions completed in relation to the present

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	haya pensado that I have thought	that I have thought
tú	hayas pensado that you have thought	that you have thought
él/ella/usted	haya pensado that he/she/you have thought	that he/she/you have thought
nosotros	hayamos pensado that we have thought	that we have thought
vosotros	hayáis pensado that you all have thought	that you all have thought
ellos/ustedes	hayan pensado that they/you all have thought	that they/you all have thought

🌌

Subjunctive Past Perfect (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective actions completed before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	hubiera pensado that I had thought	that I had thought
tú	hubieras pensado that you had thought	that you had thought
él/ella/usted	hubiera pensado that he/she/you had thought	that he/she/you had thought
nosotros	hubiéramos pensado that we had thought	that we had thought
vosotros	hubierais pensado that you all had thought	that you all had thought
ellos/ustedes	hubieran pensado that they/you all had thought	that they/you all had thought

❗

Commands (imperativo)

Commands and direct orders

Person	Command	English
tú	piensa	think! (you)
usted	piense	think! (you formal)
nosotros	pensemos	let's think!
vosotros	pensad	think! (you all)
ustedes	piensen	think! (you all)

🚫

Negative Commands (imperativo negativo)

Negative commands and prohibitions

Person	Command	English
tú	no pienses	don't think! (you)
usted	no piense	don't think! (you formal)
nosotros	no pensemos	let's not think!
vosotros	no penséis	don't think! (you all)
ustedes	no piensen	don't think! (you all)

More About "pensar"

Idiomatic Expressions

pensar en

to think about

💡 Reflecting on a topic or person

pensar de

to think of / to have an opinion about

💡 Expressing an opinion about someone or something

sin pensar

without thinking

💡 Acting impulsively or spontaneously

ni pensarlo

don't even think about it / no way

💡 Strong refusal or rejection of an idea

pensárselo dos veces

to think twice

💡 Considering carefully before acting

dar que pensar

to give food for thought

💡 Providing something worth considering

Examples in Context

Pienso en ti todos los días.

I think about you every day.

Present

¿Qué piensas de esta idea?

What do you think of this idea?

Present

Pensé que ibas a venir.

I thought you were going to come.

Preterite

Estoy pensando en cambiar de trabajo.

I'm thinking about changing jobs.

Present Progressive

Nunca pensé que esto pasaría.

I never thought this would happen.

Preterite

Related Verbs

repensar(to rethink)

compound - to rethink

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

reflexionar(to reflect, ponder)

More formal, deeper contemplation

considerar(to consider)

More deliberate evaluation

meditar(to meditate, ponder)

Deep, careful thought

creer(to believe, think)

When expressing opinions or beliefs

Usage Notes

•Pensar is a stem-changing verb: e→ie in stressed syllables (pienso, piensas)
•Main meanings: to think, to plan, to intend
•"Pensar en" means "to think about" while "pensar de" means "to have an opinion about"
•Often used with infinitive: pensar + infinitive = to plan/intend to do something
•Stem change occurs in present indicative, present subjunctive, and imperative
•Preterite is regular (no stem change): pensé, pensaste, pensó
•Common construction: "Pienso que..." (I think that...) to express opinions
•Reflexive form "pensarse" adds emphasis: "Me lo pensaré" (I'll think about it)

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Pensar

Simple Tenses

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