Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "to think" in Spanish
"To think" in Spanish is pensar, pronounced pehn-SAHR (stress on the syllable in capitals).
| Spanish | pensar |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | pehn-SAHR |
| Meaning | to think |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Frequency | #145 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice.
How to pronounce pensar
Pensar is pronounced pehn-SAHR, in IPA /penˈsaɾ/. Pensar has two syllables, pehn-SAHR, with the stress on the second. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a consonant other than -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Example sentences
Pienso en ti
I think of you
Pienso mucho en ti
I think about you a lot.
"To think" in Spain and Latin America
For an opinion, Spanish often uses creer: Creo que sí (I think so).
Useful phrases
- ¿Qué piensas?
What do you think?
Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.
How to remember pensar
pensar [pehn-SAHR] sounds like the English “pen, sir”. Picture this:
«Pen, sir?» — you think best with a pen: ideas drip straight into the notebook.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice pensar
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.