The Imperfect Tense of pensar is used to describe thoughts, ideas, or mental states that occurred habitually or were ongoing in the past, for example, Yo pensaba en mis sueños. (I used to think about my dreams.)

Pensar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect conjugations follow the typical pattern by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the corresponding imperfect endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Pensar (to think) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of pensar is used to describe ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past.

Thinking or considering: Por ejemplo, Yo pensaba en cambiar de trabajo. (I was thinking about changing jobs.) This usage expresses an ongoing thought process in the past.

Intending or planning: Por ejemplo, Pensábamos viajar a México el próximo año. (We were planning to travel to Mexico next year.) This conveys a past intention or plan.

Believing or having an opinion: Por ejemplo, Ella pensaba que su hermano era inocente. (She believed/thought that her brother was innocent.) This expresses a past belief or opinion.

Colloquial usage: Por ejemplo, ¿En qué pensabas, boludo? (What were you thinking, idiot?) This rude expression questions someone’s thought process or actions.

Examples

Examples of Pensar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo pensaba que el viaje sería más caro. (I thought the trip would be more expensive.)

Ellos pensaban que la película era aburrida. (They thought the movie was boring.)

Ella pensaba que su amigo estaba bromeando. (She thought her friend was joking.)

Nosotros pensábamos que la fiesta iba a ser divertida. (We thought the party was going to be fun.)

Tú pensabas que el trabajo sería fácil, ¿no? (You thought the job would be easy, didn’t you?)

Él pensaba que su equipo iba a ganar el partido. (He thought his team was going to win the game.)

¿Pensabas que yo no me daba cuenta? (Did you think I didn’t notice?)

Mis padres pensaban que yo estaba loco por querer viajar tanto. (My parents thought I was crazy for wanting to travel so much.)

Siempre pensaba que iba a ser rico algún día. (I always thought I would be rich one day.)

¿Pensabas que te iba a dejar plantado? ¡Ni loco! (Did you think I was going to stand you up? No way!)

Mis amigos pensaban que yo era un poco tímido. (My friends thought I was a bit shy.)

Ella pensaba que su jefe era un idiota. (She thought her boss was an idiot.)

Nosotros pensábamos que la comida estaba deliciosa. (We thought the food was delicious.)

Tú pensabas que ibas a aprobar el examen, ¿verdad? (You thought you were going to pass the exam, right?)

Ellos pensaban que la situación era injusta. (They thought the situation was unfair.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Pensar (to think) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.