# pensar conjugation

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Updated 2026-11-09 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/pensar

> *Pensar* means "to think". It's a regular *-ar* verb except for one thing: when the stress lands on the stem, the *e* becomes *ie*. So the present is *pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan*, and the subjunctive is *piense, pienses*. The preterite (*pensé, pensaste, pensó*) and everything else are regular.

**Diagram.** pensar is a regular -ar verb with one change: when the stress lands on the stem, the e turns into ie. That gives the boot in the present, and the same boot again in the subjunctive. Every other tense is regular.
> The conjugation of pensar as two grids, singular on the left and plural on the right. Present: yo pienso, tú piensas, él piensa, nosotros pensamos, vosotros pensáis, ellos piensan; a boot is drawn round pienso, piensas, piensa and piensan, where the e becomes ie. Present subjunctive: piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen, with the same boot.
- pensar, present: p**ie**nso, p**ie**nsas, p**ie**nsa, pensamos, pensáis, p**ie**nsan.
- pensar, subjunctive: p**ie**nse, p**ie**nses, p**ie**nse, pensemos, penséis, p**ie**nsen.
- Bold marks the letters that break the pattern.
- **Red pencil** is what breaks the pattern. The outline is the boot. Textbooks call these *boot verbs* because the forms that change make that shape.
- Same boot as *quiero, quieres, quiere, quieren* (querer) and *entiendo* (entender).

**pensar** — to think. *Pienso*.

## Present indicative

*The everyday present: what you do, what's true, what's going on.*


| Pronoun | pensar | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | pienso | PYEHN-soh |
| tú | piensas | PYEHN-sahs |
| él / ella / usted | piensa | PYEHN-sah |
| nosotros | pensamos | pehn-SAH-mohs |
| vosotros | pensáis | pehn-SAH-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | piensan | PYEHN-sahn |

The *ie* only shows up where the stress hits the stem: *PIEN-so*, but *pen-SA-mos*. That's the whole trick, and it's the same one *querer* plays (*quiero*, *queremos*). With *vos* there's no change at all: *vos pensás*.

## Preterite

*The past for things that happened and finished: "I went", "she said".*


| Pronoun | pensar | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | pensé | pehn-SEH |
| tú | pensaste | pehn-SAHS-teh |
| él / ella / usted | pensó | pehn-SOH |
| nosotros | pensamos | pehn-SAH-mohs |
| vosotros | pensasteis | pehn-sahs-TAY-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pensaron | pehn-SAH-rohn |

Regular. The stress moved to the ending, so no *ie*. *Pensamos* is both "we think" and "we thought": the rest of the sentence tells you which.

## Imperfect

*The past for how things were or used to be: "I was going", "we used to live".*


| Pronoun | pensar | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | pensaba | pehn-SAH-bah |
| tú | pensabas | pehn-SAH-bahs |
| él / ella / usted | pensaba | pehn-SAH-bah |
| nosotros | pensábamos | pehn-SAH-bah-mohs |
| vosotros | pensabais | pehn-SAH-bah-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pensaban | pehn-SAH-bahn |

*Pensaba que…* is how you say "I thought that…" when you were wrong: *pensaba que era viernes* (I thought it was Friday).

## Future, conditional and subjunctive

*"Will" and "would", plus the subjunctive: the form Spanish uses after wishes, doubts and "if" (espero que…, si fuera…).*


| Pronoun | Future | Conditional | Pres. subj. | Imp. subj. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| yo | pensaré | pensaría | piense | pensara |
| tú | pensarás | pensarías | pienses | pensaras |
| él / ella / usted | pensará | pensaría | piense | pensara |
| nosotros | pensaremos | pensaríamos | pensemos | pensáramos |
| vosotros | pensaréis | pensaríais | penséis | pensarais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pensarán | pensarían | piensen | pensaran |

The present subjunctive keeps the boot: *piense, pienses, piensen*, but *pensemos*. You'll hear it after *no*: *no pienso que sea fácil* (I don't think it's easy).

## Gerund and past participle

*The "-ing" form (estoy hablando, I'm talking) and the one that goes with haber (he hablado, I've talked).*


| Form | pensar | In a sentence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| gerund (-ing) | pensando | *Estaba pensando en ti* (I was thinking about you) |
| past participle | pensado | *¿Lo has pensado bien?* (have you thought it through?) |

## Imperative

*Commands: telling someone to do something, or not to.*


| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tú | piensa | no pienses |
| usted | piense | no piense |
| nosotros | pensemos | no pensemos |
| vosotros | pensad | no penséis |
| ustedes | piensen | no piensen |

The one you'll actually hear: *piénsalo* (think about it), with *lo* stuck on the end and an accent to keep the stress where it was. With *vos* it's *pensá*.

## What pensar does

*The little word after it changes the meaning*

| Spanish | Means |
| --- | --- |
| pienso en ti | I think about you: *pensar en*, never *pensar de* for this |
| pienso que sí | I think so: *pensar que* + what you think |
| ¿qué piensas de él? | what do you think of him? *pensar de* asks for an opinion |
| pienso ir mañana | I'm planning to go tomorrow: *pensar* + infinitive |
| ni lo pienses | don't even think about it |

For a plain opinion, Spanish speakers say *creo que* (I think, I believe) more often than *pienso que*. Both are right.

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## Questions

### Is pensar a stem-changing verb?

Yes, *e* → *ie*. It changes in the four present forms where the stress falls on the stem (*pienso, piensas, piensa, piensan*), the same four in the present subjunctive, and the *tú*, *usted* and *ustedes* commands. *Pensamos* and *pensáis* don't change, and neither does any other tense.

### What is the preterite of pensar?

*Pensé, pensaste, pensó, pensamos, pensasteis, pensaron*. Completely regular: no *ie*, because the stress is on the ending.

### What is the tú command of pensar?

*Piensa* (think), and *no pienses* (don't think). With a pronoun: *piénsalo* (think about it).

### What is the present subjunctive of pensar?

*Piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen*. Same boot as the present indicative.

### Is it pensar en or pensar de?

*Pensar en* is thinking about someone or something: *pienso en ti*. *Pensar de* is only for asking or giving an opinion: *¿qué piensas de la película?* (what do you think of the film?).

### What does pienso mean?

"I think". It's the *yo* form of *pensar* in the present. *Pienso, luego existo* is Descartes: I think, therefore I am.

## Related

- [querer conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/querer.md)
- [poder conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/poder.md)
- [Spanish verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations.md)

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