pienso
“pienso” means “I think” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
I think
Also: I plan, I intend
📝 In Action
Pienso que va a llover.
A1I think it's going to rain.
Pienso en ti todos los días.
A2I think about you every day.
Pienso viajar a México el próximo año.
B1I plan to travel to Mexico next year.
animal feed
Also: kibble, fodder
📝 In Action
Voy a la tienda a comprar pienso para el perro.
B1I'm going to the store to buy kibble for the dog.
El granjero almacena el pienso en el granero.
B2The farmer stores the animal feed in the barn.
Este pienso tiene muchas vitaminas para los gatos.
B1This cat food has a lot of vitamins for cats.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: pienso
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'pienso' to mean 'animal feed'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
It's fascinating how 'pienso' has two very different meanings from a related root! Both come from the Latin word 'pensāre', which meant 'to weigh carefully' or 'to consider'. The verb 'pienso' (I think) kept the 'to consider' meaning. The noun 'pienso' (animal feed) came from the idea of a 'weighed-out' portion or ration of food, which eventually came to mean animal feed specifically.
First recorded: 12th century (verb), 15th century (noun)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if 'pienso' means 'I think' or 'animal feed'?
It's all about context! If it's used like an action at the start of a sentence (e.g., 'Pienso que...'), it means 'I think'. If you see 'el pienso' or it's described as something you buy or give to an animal, it's the noun 'animal feed'.

