Learn How to Conjugate the Verb "Penser" (to Think)

The French verb penser is an important word to know because it means "to think." You will use it quite often when you speak French, so it's a good idea to study and memorize the verb's conjugations. This lesson will demonstrate how to do that and form the present, past, and future tenses of penser.

The Basic Conjugations of Penser

Verb conjugations in French are the equivalent of adding an -ing ending in English to forms words like "thinking." We must first identify the verb stem—for penser that is pens- —then add the appropriate ending to match the subject pronoun and tense of the subject.

French students will be happy to know that penser is a regular -er verb. It follows the most common conjugation pattern found in French. If you've studied similar words like passer (to pass) or demander (to ask), then this lesson will be easier because it applies the same endings.

In the simplest form, this is done in the indicative mood for the present, future, and imperfect past tenses. These are the forms of penser that you will use most often, so "I am thinking" is je pense and "we will think" is nous penserons.

To help you commit these to memory, try using the conjugation in simple sentences. If you need some ideas, there are plenty of common phrases that use penser.

	Present	Future	Imperfect
je	pense	penserai	pensais
tu	penses	penseras	pensais
il	pense	pensera	pensait
nous	pensons	penserons	pensions
vous	pensez	penserez	pensiez
ils	pensent	penseront	pensaient

The Present Participle of Penser

The present participle of penser is pensant. Notice how this was formed by simply adding -ant to the verb stem.

Penser in the Past Tense

The past tense can of penser is expressed with either the imperfect or the passé composé. To form the latter, you will construct a short phrase using the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle pensé.

For example, "I thought" is j'ai pensé and "we thought" is nous avons pensé. Look carefully and you'll notice that the only conjugation needed was avoir in the present tense and that the past participle pensé doesn't change.

More Simple Conjugations of Penser

Consider the conjugations above to be your top priority when studying penser. When you're comfortable with those, add these other simple conjugations to your vocabulary. 

Each of these has a specific purpose. For example, the subjunctive expresses uncertainty in the action of thinking while the conditional says that something else must happen in order to think. The other two verb forms—the passé simple and imperfect subjunctive—are used more often in formal French, but they are good to know.

	Subjunctive	Conditional	Passé Simple	Imperfect Subjunctive
je	pense	penserais	pensai	pensasse
tu	penses	penserais	pensas	pensasses
il	pense	penserait	pensa	pensât
nous	pensions	penserions	pensâmes	pensassions
vous	pensiez	penseriez	pensâtes	pensassiez
ils	pensent	penseraient	pensèrent	pensassent

You will use the imperative form of penser when saying direct and very short commands such as "Think!" When doing so, there's no need to include the subject pronoun. Simply say "Pense !"

	Imperative
(tu)	pense
(nous)	pensons
(vous)	pensez