Quick answer
pensar · pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan
to think, to plan. Fully regular, so the endings carry over to every other -ar verb.
Conjugation
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | pienso | pensé | pensaba | pensaré |
| tú | piensas | pensaste | pensabas | pensarás |
| él / ella / usted | piensa | pensó | pensaba | pensará |
| nosotros | pensamos | pensamos | pensábamos | pensaremos |
| vosotros | pensáis | pensasteis | pensabais | pensaréis |
| ellos / ustedes | piensan | pensaron | pensaban | pensarán |
Orange marks a form you cannot guess from the rules.
| Non-finite | Form |
|---|---|
| gerund | pensando |
| past participle | pensado |
| imperative (tú) | piensa |
| subjunctive (yo) | piense |
Which form to learn first
pienso. It carries your opinion and your plans in the same form.
Where you will actually use it
Pienso que sí.I think so.
Pienso ir mañana.I plan to go tomorrow — pensar + infinitive.
¿Qué piensas?What do you think?
Pienso en ti.I am thinking about you — pensar en.
¿Qué piensas de la película?What do you think of the film? — pensar de for an opinion.
Ni lo pienses.Don’t even think about it.
Typical mistakes
Yo penso.
Yo pienso.
e → ie: pienso, piensas, piensa, pensamos, pensáis, piensan.
Pienso de ti.
Pienso en ti.
en means your mind is on someone; de asks for a judgement.
Pienso a ir.
Pienso ir.
No preposition before the infinitive when pensar means “to plan”.
Check yourself
___ mucho en mi familia.