pensar imperfect tense conjugation
Pensar (to think) in the imperfect tense: pensaba, pensabas, pensaba, pensábamos, pensabais, pensaban.
Pretérito imperfecto Imperfect
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | |
| él/ella/usted | |
| nosotros | |
| vosotros | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the imperfect tense
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
Pensar is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Pensar in a sentence
- Pienso que es una buena idea.I think it's a good idea.
- Pensé mucho antes de decidir.I thought a lot before deciding.
e→ie stem change in present; use 'pensar en' for 'to think about'.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of pensar?
Pensar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo pensaba, tú pensabas, él/ella/usted pensaba, nosotros pensábamos, vosotros pensabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes pensaban.
Is pensar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense pensar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so pensaba follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish imperfect tense?
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How is the imperfect tense formed?
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
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