Pensar en, pensar de, pensar + infinitive
Pensar en = to think about: pienso en ti. Pensar de = to think of (opinion): ¿qué piensas de él? Pensar + infinitive = to plan to: ¿qué piensas hacer? (what are you planning to do?).
Indicative tenses of pensar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | piensoI think |
|---|---|
| tú | piensasyou think |
| él/ella/usted | piensahe/she thinks |
| nosotros/as | pensamoswe think |
| vosotros/as | pensáisyou all think |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | piensanthey think |
Stem change e → ie, except for nosotros and vosotros: pensamos.
Preterite indicative
| yo | penséI thought |
|---|---|
| tú | pensasteyou thought |
| él/ella/usted | pensóhe/she thought |
| nosotros/as | pensamoswe thought |
| vosotros/as | pensasteisyou all thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pensaronthey thought |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | pensabaI used to think |
|---|---|
| tú | pensabasyou used to think |
| él/ella/usted | pensabahe/she used to think |
| nosotros/as | pensábamoswe used to think |
| vosotros/as | pensabaisyou all used to think |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pensabanthey used to think |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy pensandoI am thinking |
|---|---|
| tú | estás pensandoyou are thinking |
| él/ella/usted | está pensandohe/she is thinking |
| nosotros/as | estamos pensandowe are thinking |
| vosotros/as | estáis pensandoyou all are thinking |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están pensandothey are thinking |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a pensarI am going to think |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a pensaryou are going to think |
| él/ella/usted | va a pensarhe/she is going to think |
| nosotros/as | vamos a pensarwe are going to think |
| vosotros/as | vais a pensaryou all are going to think |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a pensarthey are going to think |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | pensaréI will think |
|---|---|
| tú | pensarásyou will think |
| él/ella/usted | pensaráhe/she will think |
| nosotros/as | pensaremoswe will think |
| vosotros/as | pensaréisyou all will think |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pensaránthey will think |
Conditional indicative
| yo | pensaríaI would think |
|---|---|
| tú | pensaríasyou would think |
| él/ella/usted | pensaríahe/she would think |
| nosotros/as | pensaríamoswe would think |
| vosotros/as | pensaríaisyou all would think |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pensaríanthey would think |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he pensadoI have thought |
|---|---|
| tú | has pensadoyou have thought |
| él/ella/usted | ha pensadohe/she has thought |
| nosotros/as | hemos pensadowe have thought |
| vosotros/as | habéis pensadoyou all have thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han pensadothey have thought |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había pensadoI had thought |
|---|---|
| tú | habías pensadoyou had thought |
| él/ella/usted | había pensadohe/she had thought |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pensadowe had thought |
| vosotros/as | habíais pensadoyou all had thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían pensadothey had thought |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré pensadoI will have thought |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás pensadoyou will have thought |
| él/ella/usted | habrá pensadohe/she will have thought |
| nosotros/as | habremos pensadowe will have thought |
| vosotros/as | habréis pensadoyou all will have thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán pensadothey will have thought |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría pensadoI would have thought |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías pensadoyou would have thought |
| él/ella/usted | habría pensadohe/she would have thought |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pensadowe would have thought |
| vosotros/as | habríais pensadoyou all would have thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían pensadothey would have thought |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of pensar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | piense(that) I think |
|---|---|
| tú | pienses(that) you think |
| él/ella/usted | piense(that) he/she thinks |
| nosotros/as | pensemos(that) we think |
| vosotros/as | penséis(that) you all think |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | piensen(that) they think |
Same stem change in the present subjunctive: piense.
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | pensara(if) I thought |
|---|---|
| tú | pensaras(if) you thought |
| él/ella/usted | pensara(if) he/she thought |
| nosotros/as | pensáramos(if) we thought |
| vosotros/as | pensarais(if) you all thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pensaran(if) they thought |
Future subjunctive
| yo | pensare(if) I think |
|---|---|
| tú | pensares(if) you think |
| él/ella/usted | pensare(if) he/she thinks |
| nosotros/as | pensáremos(if) we think |
| vosotros/as | pensareis(if) you all think |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pensaren(if) they think |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya pensado(that) I have thought |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas pensado(that) you have thought |
| él/ella/usted | haya pensado(that) he/she has thought |
| nosotros/as | hayamos pensado(that) we have thought |
| vosotros/as | hayáis pensado(that) you all have thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan pensado(that) they have thought |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera pensado(if) I had thought |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras pensado(if) you had thought |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera pensado(if) he/she had thought |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos pensado(if) we had thought |
| vosotros/as | hubierais pensado(if) you all had thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran pensado(if) they had thought |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere pensado(if) I will have thought |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres pensado(if) you will have thought |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere pensado(if) he/she will have thought |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos pensado(if) we will have thought |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis pensado(if) you all will have thought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren pensado(if) they will have thought |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of pensar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | piensathink! |
|---|---|
| usted | piensethink! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | pensemoslet's think! |
| vosotros/as | pensadthink! (you all) |
| ustedes | piensenthink! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no piensesdon't think! |
|---|---|
| usted | no piensedon't think! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no pensemoslet's not think! |
| vosotros/as | no penséisdon't think! (you all) |
| ustedes | no piensendon't think! (you all, formal) |
Practice pensar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and pensar.
How to use pensar
Siempre pienso en ti.
I always think about you.
¿Qué piensas de la película?
What do you think of the movie?
Pienso ir a la playa.
I'm planning to go to the beach.
Pienso que tienes razón.
I think you're right.
Déjame pensarlo.
Let me think about it.
Example sentences with pensar
- ¿En qué piensas?What are you thinking about?
- Lo pensé mucho.I thought about it a lot.
- Pensaba que eras español.I thought you were Spanish.
- Lo pensaré.I'll think about it.
- ¿Qué pensarías tú?What would you think?
- No pienses tanto.Don't think so much.
- Piénsalo bien.Think it over carefully.
- ¿Has pensado en mi propuesta?Have you thought about my proposal?
Verbs like pensar
Like pensar (pienso), these verbs change e → ie in the present.
Frequently asked questions about pensar
Is pensar regular or irregular?
Pensar is a stem-changing verb: e → ie in the present (pienso), present subjunctive (piense) and commands (piensa). All other tenses are regular.
How do you conjugate pensar in the present tense?
pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan.
How do you conjugate pensar in the preterite?
pensé, pensaste, pensó, pensamos, pensasteis, pensaron. The preterite is fully regular.
What is the difference between "pensar en" and "pensar de"?
Pensar en = to think about something or someone (pienso en ti). Pensar de = to have an opinion about (¿qué piensas de esto?).
Pensar or creer?
Both can mean "to think (that)". Creo que… is a bit more common in conversation; pienso que… sounds a little more reflective.
What is the past participle of pensar?
The past participle is pensado and the gerund is pensando.
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