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FRENCH VERB

penser

to think

  • #22 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: pensé
  • Present participle: pensant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I think
  2. tu you think
  3. il, elle, on he/she thinks
  4. nous we think
  5. vous you think
  6. ils, elles they think

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I thought
  2. tu you thought
  3. il, elle, on he/she thought
  4. nous we thought
  5. vous you thought
  6. ils, elles they thought

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to think
  2. tu you used to think
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to think
  4. nous we used to think
  5. vous you used to think
  6. ils, elles they used to think

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will think
  2. tu you will think
  3. il, elle, on he/she will think
  4. nous we will think
  5. vous you will think
  6. ils, elles they will think

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would think
  2. tu you would think
  3. il, elle, on he/she would think
  4. nous we would think
  5. vous you would think
  6. ils, elles they would think

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I think
  2. tu (that) you think
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she think
  4. nous (that) we think
  5. vous (that) you think
  6. ils, elles (that) they think

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu think!
  2. nous think! (let’s)
  3. vous think! (plural, or formal)

How to use penser

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Je pense souvent à mes amis de Lyon.

    I often think about my friends in Lyon.

  2. Past

    Tu as pensé à acheter du pain ?

    Did you remember to buy bread?

  3. Imperfect

    Je pensais que le magasin fermait à vingt heures.

    I thought the shop closed at eight.

  4. Future

    On y pensera demain, il est tard.

    We'll think about it tomorrow, it's late.

  5. Conditional

    Qu'est-ce que tu penserais d'un week-end à Rome ?

    What would you think of a weekend in Rome?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Je ne veux pas qu'elle pense que j'ai oublié.

    I don't want her to think I forgot.

  7. Imperative

    Pense à prendre tes clés !

    Remember to take your keys!

Good to know

  • Penser à is to think about someone or something; penser de asks for an opinion : qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?

Where you hear penser

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 1

  • Je pense que oui. I think so.
  • J'ai pensé à ma famille. I thought about my family.
  • Je vais penser à toi. I'm going to think about you.
20
A Rainy Afternoon

Beginner Level 1 · je pense que

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.