Pensar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

pensar — to think — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb of thinking and of having an opinion, used with em for thinking about someone or something, and with que for a thought in words. It is completely regular: penso, pensas, pensa, pensamos, pensais, pensam. On this page you will find pensar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the pensar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the pensar present tense page.

Example sentences with pensar

In the present tense

  • “Eu penso na Maria todos os dias.” — “I think about Maria”
  • “Tu pensas na Maria todos os dias.” — “You think about Maria”
  • “Ele pensa na Maria todos os dias.” — “He thinks about Maria”
  • “Nós pensamos na Maria todos os dias.” — “We think about Maria”
  • “Vós pensais na Maria todos os dias.” — “You think about Maria”
  • “Eles pensam na Maria todos os dias.” — “They think about Maria”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu pensei na Maria ontem.” — “I thought about Maria”
  • “Tu pensaste na Maria ontem.” — “You thought about Maria”
  • “Ele pensou na Maria ontem.” — “He thought about Maria”
  • “Nós pensámos na Maria ontem.” — “We thought about Maria”
  • “Vós pensastes na Maria ontem.” — “You thought about Maria”
  • “Eles pensaram na Maria ontem.” — “They thought about Maria”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu pensava na Maria antigamente.” — “I used to think about Maria”
  • “Tu pensarás na Maria amanhã.” — “You will think about Maria”
  • “Ele pensaria na Maria um dia.” — “He would think about Maria”
  • “É importante que nós pensemos na Maria.” — “It is important that we think about Maria”
  • “Pensa na Maria!” — “Think about Maria!”

How pensar is used

The first thing to know about pensar is its core meaning: to think. It is the verb of thinking and of having an opinion, used with em for thinking about someone or something, and with que for a thought in words. It is completely regular: penso, pensas, pensa, pensamos, pensais, pensam. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company pensar keeps. The present eu form is penso, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho pensado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what pensar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need penso, never pensar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho pensado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle pensado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Pensar in context

Eu penso na Maria todos os dias. Tu pensas na Maria todos os dias. Ele pensa na Maria todos os dias. Nós pensamos na Maria todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of pensar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — penso, pensas, pensa, pensamos — while the meaning stays the same: to think. Eu pensei na Maria ontem. Tu pensaste na Maria ontem. Ele pensou na Maria ontem. Nós pensámos na Maria ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of pensar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to think — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu pensar na Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu penso na Maria todos os dias.”

The infinitive pensar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form penso.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu pensas na Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu penso na Maria todos os dias.”

pensas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is penso — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu penso na Maria ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu pensei na Maria ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito pensei here, not the present penso.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou pensado na Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho pensado na Maria esta semana.”

pensar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho pensado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on pensar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of pensar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) penso
    • B) pensas
    • C) pensa
    • D) pensamos

  2. What is the eu form of pensar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens pensado
    • B) tem pensado
    • C) tenho pensado
    • D) temos pensado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of pensar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) pensavas
    • B) pensávamos
    • C) pensáveis
    • D) pensava

  4. What is the nós form of pensar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) pensaremos
    • B) pensarei
    • C) pensarás
    • D) pensará

  5. What is the tu form of pensar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) pensaria
    • B) pensarias
    • C) pensaríamos
    • D) pensaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of pensar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) pensaras
    • B) pensáramos
    • C) pensara
    • D) pensáreis

  7. What is the nós form of pensar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) pense
    • B) penses
    • C) penseis
    • D) pensemos

  8. What is the gerund of pensar?

    • A) pensando
    • B) pensado
    • C) pensar
    • D) penso

  9. What is the past participle of pensar?

    • A) pensando
    • B) pensado
    • C) pensar
    • D) penso

  10. What does pensar mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to think
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) pensas — the correct form is pensas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho pensado — the correct form is tenho pensado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) pensava — the correct form is pensava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) pensaremos — the correct form is pensaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) pensarias — the correct form is pensarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) pensara — the correct form is pensara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) pensemos — the correct form is pensemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) pensando — the correct form is pensando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) pensado — the correct form is pensado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to think — the correct form is to think. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does pensar mean in English?

pensar means “to think”. You use it whenever you talk about to think in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is pensar regular or irregular?

pensar is regular. pensar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of pensar?

The gerund is pensando and the past participle is pensado. The perfect tenses use ter + pensado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of pensar?

On the pensar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The pensar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pensar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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