The Spanish verb pensar means "to think". Below are its 8 tenses as tables, with the irregular forms marked, 4 example sentences and answers to 3 common questions. Press play next to a present tense form or an example to hear it.
The present tense of pensar is yo pienso, tú piensas, él/ella/usted piensa, nosotros pensamos, vosotros pensáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes piensan. It is irregular: 4 of its 6 present forms break the regular -ar pattern. The tables below cover 8 tenses, from the present to the present perfect. Every present form and 4 example sentences have a listen button.
Forms in orange break the regular -ar pattern.
| yo | pienso (irregular) | |
|---|---|---|
| tú | piensas (irregular) | |
| él/ | piensa (irregular) | |
| nosotros | pensamos | |
| vosotros | pensáis | |
| ellos/ | piensan (irregular) |
| yo | pensé |
|---|---|
| tú | pensaste |
| él/ | pensó |
| nosotros | pensamos |
| vosotros | pensasteis |
| ellos/ | pensaron |
| yo | pensaba |
|---|---|
| tú | pensabas |
| él/ | pensaba |
| nosotros | pensábamos |
| vosotros | pensabais |
| ellos/ | pensaban |
| yo | pensaré |
|---|---|
| tú | pensarás |
| él/ | pensará |
| nosotros | pensaremos |
| vosotros | pensaréis |
| ellos/ | pensarán |
| yo | pensaría |
|---|---|
| tú | pensarías |
| él/ | pensaría |
| nosotros | pensaríamos |
| vosotros | pensaríais |
| ellos/ | pensarían |
| yo | piense (irregular) |
|---|---|
| tú | pienses (irregular) |
| él/ | piense (irregular) |
| nosotros | pensemos |
| vosotros | penséis |
| ellos/ | piensen (irregular) |
| tú | piensa (irregular) |
|---|---|
| usted | piense (irregular) |
| nosotros | pensemos |
| vosotros | pensad |
| ustedes | piensen (irregular) |
| yo | he pensado |
|---|---|
| tú | has pensado |
| él/ | ha pensado |
| nosotros | hemos pensado |
| vosotros | habéis pensado |
| ellos/ | han pensado |
Pensar is irregular. The present and present subjunctive change e to ie in forms such as pienso and piense, while nosotros keeps pensamos and pensemos. The imperative includes piensa, piense, and piensen.
Lingo7 is an app for reading books in Spanish with a translation under every sentence and audio, so the forms in these tables come back in context.
Yes, pensar is irregular. In the present, e changes to ie in pienso, piensas, piensa, and piensan.
The forms are piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, and piensen. The e to ie change appears except in pensemos and penséis.
The past participle is pensado and the gerund is pensando. The present perfect uses the auxiliary haber, as in he pensado.