Pensar conjugation

Pensar means "to think". Here it is in every main tense, with real example sentences and a free checker for your own.

Meaningto think

Type-ar verb

Gerundpensando

Past participlepensado

Pensar changes form (an irregular, stem-changing or spelling-changing form) in the present and present subjunctive. Juntos teaches Latin American Spanish, where ustedes replaces vosotros; the vosotros forms are shown for completeness.

Quick answer. Present: pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, piensan. Preterite: pensé, pensaste, pensó, pensamos, pensaron. All tenses below.

Pensar conjugation tables

Jump to: present · preterite · imperfect · future · conditional · present subjunctive · present perfect · commands (imperative)

Pensar in the present

what happens now or usually

yo	pienso
tú	piensas
él / ella / usted	piensa
nosotros	pensamos
vosotros (Spain)	pensáis
ellos / ustedes	piensan

Pensar in the preterite

a finished action at a specific time

yo	pensé
tú	pensaste
él / ella / usted	pensó
nosotros	pensamos
vosotros (Spain)	pensasteis
ellos / ustedes	pensaron

Pensar in the imperfect

habits, descriptions and background in the past

yo	pensaba
tú	pensabas
él / ella / usted	pensaba
nosotros	pensábamos
vosotros (Spain)	pensabais
ellos / ustedes	pensaban

Pensar in the future

what will happen

yo	pensaré
tú	pensarás
él / ella / usted	pensará
nosotros	pensaremos
vosotros (Spain)	pensaréis
ellos / ustedes	pensarán

Pensar in the conditional

what would happen

yo	pensaría
tú	pensarías
él / ella / usted	pensaría
nosotros	pensaríamos
vosotros (Spain)	pensaríais
ellos / ustedes	pensarían

Pensar in the present subjunctive

after wishes, doubts and requests (quiero que…)

yo	piense
tú	pienses
él / ella / usted	piense
nosotros	pensemos
vosotros (Spain)	penséis
ellos / ustedes	piensen

Pensar in the present perfect

what has happened, up to now (he comido)

yo	he pensado
tú	has pensado
él / ella / usted	ha pensado
nosotros	hemos pensado
vosotros (Spain)	habéis pensado
ellos / ustedes	han pensado

Pensar in the commands (imperative)

telling someone to do something (habla, no hables)

tú	piensa
tú (no)	no pienses
usted	piense
nosotros	pensemos
vosotros (Spain)	pensad
ustedes	piensen

Pensar in real sentences

Example sentences from the Juntos exercise bank, each checked before learners see it.

Present

Pienso que es una buena idea.
I think it's a good idea.
¿En qué piensas?
What are you thinking about?

Preterite

Pensé en ti cuando vi la foto.
I thought of you when I saw the photo.
Lo pensamos mucho antes de mudarnos.
We thought about it a lot before moving.

Imperfect

Pensaba que la tienda abría a las nueve.
I thought the shop opened at nine.
De niña, pensaba que todos hablaban inglés.
As a girl, I thought everyone spoke English.

Mistakes learners make with pensar

Pensar en is thinking about: pienso en ti. Pensar que is thinking that: pienso que sí.
The stem changes e to ie: pienso, piensas, but pensamos.
Pensar de asks for an opinion: ¿qué piensas de la película?

Write your own sentence with pensar

Not sure which past tense to use? The Spanish past tense course explains preterite vs imperfect with practice. Conjugate any other verb with the free Spanish conjugator, browse all 72 verb pages, or check any text with the free Spanish grammar checker.

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Use pensar in real conversation

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Questions people ask

Is pensar irregular in Spanish?

Partly. Pensar changes form in the present and present subjunctive, through an irregular stem, a stem change or a spelling change. The other tenses follow the regular -ar pattern.

What is the preterite of pensar?

Yo pensé, tú pensaste, él/ella pensó, nosotros pensamos, ellos/ustedes pensaron.

How do you conjugate pensar in the present?

Yo pienso, tú piensas, él/ella piensa, nosotros pensamos, ellos/ustedes piensan.

What is the future of pensar?

Yo pensaré, tú pensarás, él/ella pensará, nosotros pensaremos, ellos/ustedes pensarán.

What is the present subjunctive of pensar?

Que yo piense, que tú pienses, que él/ella piense, que nosotros pensemos, que ellos/ustedes piensen.