Inklingo

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 existoI 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 perrosdog food/kibble
  • pienso compuestocompound feed
  • un saco de piensoa sack of feed

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

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

imperfect

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

preterite

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

subjunctive

present

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

imperfect

él/ella/ustedpensara
yopensara
pensaras
ellos/ellas/ustedespensaran
nosotrospensáramos
vosotrospensarais

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pienso" in Spanish:

animal feedfodderi intendi plani thinkkibble

✏️ 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'.