pensé
“pensé” means “I thought” in Spanish (Past action of thinking or believing).
I thought
Also: I planned, I figured
📝 In Action
Pensé que la película empezaba más tarde.
A2I thought the movie started later.
Lo pensé mejor y decidí quedarme en casa.
B1I thought it over and decided to stay home.
Pensé en ti todo el día.
A2I thought about you all day.
Pensé llamarte, pero se me hizo muy tarde.
B1I planned to call you, but it got too late.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "pensé" in Spanish:
i figured→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: pensé
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'pensé' to talk about a completed thought in the past?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'pensāre', which meant 'to weigh', 'to ponder', or 'to consider'. The idea was that thinking is like weighing different ideas in your mind.
First recorded: Around the 12th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'pensé' and 'pensaba'?
Think of 'pensé' as a snapshot and 'pensaba' as a video. 'Pensé' is for a single, completed thought ('At that moment, I thought it was a good idea'). 'Pensaba' is for ongoing thoughts or beliefs in the past ('When I was young, I used to think...').
Why does 'pensé' have an accent mark but 'pensaste' doesn't?
Great question! In this past tense (the preterite), the accent mark on the last letter for the 'yo' (I) and 'él/ella' (he/she) forms is a rule. It tells you where to put the stress on the word. For other forms like 'pensaste' (you thought), the stress naturally falls in the right place without needing an accent.
Can I say 'Yo pensé en que...'?
Almost! The correct way is 'Yo pensé que...' (I thought that...). You don't need the word 'en' in this case. You use 'pensar en' when you are thinking *about* someone or something, like 'Pensé en mi familia' (I thought about my family).