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pienso

pyen-soˈpjen.so

“pienso” means “I think” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

I think

Also: I plan, I intend
VerbA1irregular (e:ie) ar
A young person sitting alone, resting their chin on their hand, looking contemplative. A stylized question mark floats inside a thought bubble above their head, symbolizing the action of thinking.
infinitivepensar
gerundpensando
past Participlepensado

📝 In Action

Pienso que va a llover.

A1

I think it's going to rain.

Pienso en ti todos los días.

A2

I think about you every day.

Pienso viajar a México el próximo año.

B1

I plan to travel to Mexico next year.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • creo (I believe)
  • opino (I opine)

Common Collocations

  • pienso que... – I think that...
  • pienso en... – I think about...
  • pienso, luego existo – I think, therefore I am

animal feed

Also: kibble, fodder
NounmB1
A large, full bowl of brown, dry, pelletized animal kibble (pienso) sitting on a simple floor next to a happy dog.

📝 In Action

Voy a la tienda a comprar pienso para el perro.

B1

I'm going to the store to buy kibble for the dog.

El granjero almacena el pienso en el granero.

B2

The farmer stores the animal feed in the barn.

Este pienso tiene muchas vitaminas para los gatos.

B1

This cat food has a lot of vitamins for cats.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • alimento para animales (animal food)
  • forraje (forage/fodder)

Common Collocations

  • pienso para perros – dog food/kibble
  • pienso compuesto – compound feed
  • un saco de pienso – a sack of feed

Indicative

Present

yopienso
túpiensas
él/ella/ustedpiensa
nosotrospensamos
vosotrospensáis
ellos/ellas/ustedespiensan

Imperfect

yopensaba
túpensabas
él/ella/ustedpensaba
nosotrospensábamos
vosotrospensabais
ellos/ellas/ustedespensaban

Preterite

yopensé
túpensaste
él/ella/ustedpensó
nosotrospensamos
vosotrospensasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedespensaron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yopiense
túpienses
él/ella/ustedpiense
nosotrospensemos
vosotrospenséis
ellos/ellas/ustedespiensen

Imperfect Subjunctive

yopensara
túpensaras
él/ella/ustedpensara
nosotrospensáramos
vosotrospensarais
ellos/ellas/ustedespensaran
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pienso" in Spanish:

animal feed→fodder→i intend→i plan→i think→kibble→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pienso

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'pienso' to mean 'animal feed'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 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)

Portuguese: pensoFrench: penserItalian: penso

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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'.