Pensar is one of the most important irregular verbs in Spanish — it appears in virtually every GCSE and A-Level task.
Practice pensar free →Pensar means 'to think', and it is indispensable for giving opinions — a skill rewarded across every part of a Spanish exam. It is a stem-changing verb, with e becoming ie in the present (pienso, piensas, piensa). Two structures matter: pensar que introduces an opinion (pienso que es importante), and pensar + infinitive means to intend to do something (pienso viajar). Pensar en means to think about. Because opinion phrases lift your mark, having pienso que… ready is one of the most practical things you can take from this verb.
Quick facts
Pensar (to think) is a high-frequency irregular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Pensar que: pienso que es buena idea (I think it's a good idea).
Pensar + infinitive: pienso estudiar idiomas.
Pensar en: pienso en mi futuro (I think about my future).
Remember e→ie: pienso, piensas, but pensamos.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
Pensar is an e→ie stem-changer: pienso, piensas, piensa — but pensamos, pensáis don't change. Pensar en means to think about; pensar + infinitivo means to intend to do something.
Stem-changing verb (e→ie): the stem vowel changes in all forms except nosotros and vosotros, which keep the original stem.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice pensar now →Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.
yo: pienso, tú: piensas, él: piensa, nosotros: pensamos, vosotros: pensáis, ellos: piensan
Pensar is irregular.
Use pensar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with pensar or that behave like it.
This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Pensar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.