Verb · stem change, e to ie
pensar
to think
The thing that catches people out
The e becomes ie whenever it is stressed: pienso, piensas, but pensamos. pensar en is to think about; pensar plus a verb is to plan to: pienso ir mañana.
Present
What happens, and what is happening now.
| yo | pienso | |
| tú | piensas | |
| él, ella, usted | piensa | |
| nosotros | pensamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | piensan | |
| vosotros, Spain only | pensáis |
Preterite, the finished past
Something that happened and is over: yesterday, last year, once.
| yo | pensé | |
| tú | pensaste | |
| él, ella, usted | pensó | |
| nosotros | pensamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | pensaron | |
| vosotros, Spain only | pensasteis |
Imperfect, the background past
What used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.
| yo | pensaba | |
| tú | pensabas | |
| él, ella, usted | pensaba | |
| nosotros | pensábamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | pensaban | |
| vosotros, Spain only | pensabais |
Future
Will do. In conversation, ir a plus the verb is more common: voy a comer.
| yo | pensaré | |
| tú | pensarás | |
| él, ella, usted | pensará | |
| nosotros | pensaremos | |
| ellos, ustedes | pensarán | |
| vosotros, Spain only | pensaréis |
Present perfect
Have done. Used far more in Spain, where it covers today; most of Latin America uses the preterite there.
| yo | he pensado | |
| tú | has pensado | |
| él, ella, usted | ha pensado | |
| nosotros | hemos pensado | |
| ellos, ustedes | han pensado | |
| vosotros, Spain only | habéis pensado |
Other forms
The -ing form, the form that follows he, has and ha, and how to tell someone to do it.
| -ing form | pensando | |
| participle | pensado | |
| command, to tú | piensa | |
| command, to usted | piense |
In a sentence
¿qué piensas?
what do you think?
pienso en ti
I am thinking about you