piensa
“piensa” means “he thinks / she thinks / it thinks” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
he thinks / she thinks / it thinks, you think
Also: he/she plans, he/she believes
📝 In Action
Mi abuela siempre piensa en positivo.
A1My grandmother always thinks positively.
Ella piensa que la idea es fantástica.
A2She thinks that the idea is fantastic.
Él piensa viajar a México el próximo verano.
B1He plans to travel to Mexico next summer.
¿Qué piensa usted sobre este asunto?
B1What do you (formal) think about this matter?
think
Also: consider, think about it
📝 In Action
Antes de responder, piensa un momento.
A2Before you answer, think for a moment.
¡Piensa en las consecuencias!
B1Think about the consequences!
Piensa bien lo que vas a decir.
B1Think carefully about what you are going to say.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: piensa
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence means 'She is thinking about her family'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
`Piensa` comes from the Latin verb `pensāre`, which meant 'to weigh' or 'to consider'. Over time, the idea of mentally 'weighing' options evolved into the modern meaning of 'to think'.
First recorded: Around the 12th century
Cognates (Related words)
💡 Master Spanish
Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between `piensa que`, `piensa en`, and `piensa de`?
Great question! Use `piensa que` to introduce an opinion ('He thinks that...'). Use `piensa en` for the person or thing on someone's mind ('She thinks about...'). Use `piensa de` mostly in questions to ask for an opinion ('¿Qué piensa de la película?' - 'What does he think of the movie?').
Why isn't it 'pensa'? Why the 'ie'?
`Pensar` is a 'stem-changing' verb. For many common verbs in Spanish, the vowel in the main part (the stem) changes when you conjugate it. For `pensar`, the 'e' stretches into an 'ie' in most present-tense forms, like `pienso`, `piensas`, and `piensa`. It's a pattern you'll see in other useful verbs like `querer` (quiero) and `empezar` (empiezo)!