Pensar Conjugation: Pienso, Pensé, Piense and Every Tense (Chart)

Pensar means "to think." It's an e→ie stem-changing verb in the present: pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan. The preterite is regular (pensé, pensó), and the present subjunctive follows the same stem change as the present (piense).

Pensar Conjugation Chart

Indicative: present, preterite and imperfect

Pronoun	Present	Preterite	Imperfect
yo	pienso	pensé	pensaba
tú	piensas	pensaste	pensabas
él / ella / usted	piensa	pensó	pensaba
nosotros / nosotras	pensamos	pensamos	pensábamos
vosotros / vosotras	pensáis	pensasteis	pensabais
ellos / ellas / ustedes	piensan	pensaron	pensaban

Future, conditional and present perfect

Pronoun	Future	Conditional	Present perfect
yo	pensaré	pensaría	he pensado
tú	pensarás	pensarías	has pensado
él / ella / usted	pensará	pensaría	ha pensado
nosotros / nosotras	pensaremos	pensaríamos	hemos pensado
vosotros / vosotras	pensaréis	pensaríais	habéis pensado
ellos / ellas / ustedes	pensarán	pensarían	han pensado

Subjunctive

Pronoun	Present subjunctive	Imperfect subjunctive
yo	piense	pensara
tú	pienses	pensaras
él / ella / usted	piense	pensara
nosotros / nosotras	pensemos	pensáramos
vosotros / vosotras	penséis	pensarais
ellos / ellas / ustedes	piensen	pensaran

Commands (imperative)

Person	Affirmative	Negative
tú	¡piensa!	¡no pienses!
usted	¡piense!	¡no piense!
nosotros	¡pensemos!	¡no pensemos!
vosotros	¡pensad!	¡no penséis!
ustedes	¡piensen!	¡no piensen!

Gerund: pensando (estoy pensando) · Past participle: pensado (he pensado)

Practice: Pensar conjugation

Pick the right form of pensar for each pronoun and tense.

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What Makes Pensar Irregular

Pensar is the classic example of an e→ie verb:

e→ie when the stem is stressed: pienso, piensas, piensa, piensan, but pensamos, pensáis. This is sometimes called a "boot verb," because the changing forms make a boot shape in the chart.
The subjunctive and tú command follow the same split: piense, pienses, pensemos; piensa.
Everything else is regular: pensé, pensaba, pensaré, pensaría, pensando, pensado.

Many common verbs work the same way: cerrar (cierro), querer (quiero), despertar (despierto), perder (pierdo), entender (entiendo) and empezar (empiezo).

How to Use Pensar

Pensar changes meaning depending on the word that follows:

Pensar en is to think about: Pienso en ti (I think about you).
Pensar de asks for an opinion: ¿Qué piensas de la película? (What do you think of the movie?).
Pensar + infinitive means "to plan to" or "to intend to": Pienso viajar en verano (I'm planning to travel in the summer).
Pensar que gives an opinion: Pienso que tienes razón. In the negative it takes the subjunctive: No pienso que sea verdad.

Common Expressions With Pensar

Expression	Meaning	Example
¡Ni lo pienses!	Don't even think about it!	¿Salir con esta lluvia? ¡Ni lo pienses!
pensándolo bien	on second thought	Pensándolo bien, prefiero quedarme.
pensar en voz alta	to think out loud	Perdona, estaba pensando en voz alta.
dar que pensar	to give food for thought	Su pregunta me dio que pensar.
pensar mal	to assume the worst	No pienses mal, solo es un amigo.
sin pensarlo dos veces	without thinking twice	Aceptó el trabajo sin pensarlo dos veces.

Pensar in Example Sentences

¿En qué piensas? (What are you thinking about?)
Pensé que no venías. (I thought you weren't coming.)
De joven pensaba que lo sabía todo. (When I was young I thought I knew everything.)
Pensaremos en una solución. (We'll think of a solution.)
No pienso esperar más. (I'm not planning to wait any longer.)
No creo que piensen lo mismo. (I don't think they think the same.)

Common Mistakes With Pensar

"Penso" instead of pienso. The stressed e changes to ie.
"Piensamos" instead of pensamos. Nosotros keeps the e.
"Pensar sobre" for "think about." Spanish uses pensar en: pienso en el examen.
Using the indicative after "no pienso que." Negated opinions take the subjunctive: no pienso que sea fácil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is pensar a stem-changing verb?

Yes. Pensar changes e to ie in the present indicative, present subjunctive and tú command, except for nosotros and vosotros.

What is the preterite of pensar?

Pensé, pensaste, pensó, pensamos, pensasteis, pensaron. The preterite has no stem change.

What's the difference between pensar en and pensar de?

Pensar en means to think about someone or something. Pensar de asks for or gives an opinion: ¿Qué piensas de él?

What does pensar + infinitive mean?

It means to plan or intend to do something: Pienso estudiar medicina (I plan to study medicine).

Keep Practicing

The quiz under the chart mixes pronouns and tenses from every table. For more practice, these guides pair well with pensar:

Jean-Baptiste Bolh

Co-Founder

Applied AI