The French Verb PENSER: Complete Guide to Conjugation, Prepositions, and Usage

The verb penser (to think) is one of the most frequently used verbs in French. However, its usage can be surprisingly complex for English speakers because the preposition that follows it changes the meaning significantly. Depending on whether you use penser à, penser de, or penser on its own, you can express completely different ideas.

This comprehensive guide will cover everything you need to know about penser: its conjugation, the different prepositions it takes, common expressions, and the mistakes to avoid. By the end, you will be able to use this essential verb confidently and correctly.

1. Conjugation of PENSER

Penser is a regular -ER verb, which means it follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -er. This makes it relatively easy to learn.

Present Tense (Présent):

• Je pense – I think
• Tu penses – You think (singular, informal)
• Il/Elle/On pense – He/She/One thinks
• Nous pensons – We think
• Vous pensez – You think (plural or formal)
• Ils/Elles pensent – They think

Past Tense (Passé Composé):

• J'ai pensé – I thought
• Tu as pensé – You thought
• Il/Elle/On a pensé – He/She/One thought
• Nous avons pensé – We thought
• Vous avez pensé – You thought
• Ils/Elles ont pensé – They thought

Future Tense (Futur Simple):

• Je penserai – I will think
• Tu penseras – You will think
• Il/Elle/On pensera – He/She/One will think
• Nous penserons – We will think
• Vous penserez – You will think
• Ils/Elles penseront – They will think

Imperfect Tense (Imparfait):

• Je pensais – I was thinking / I used to think
• Tu pensais – You were thinking
• Il/Elle/On pensait – He/She/One was thinking
• Nous pensions – We were thinking
• Vous pensiez – You were thinking
• Ils/Elles pensaient – They were thinking

Beginner Tip: Practice conjugating penser in these tenses daily. Since it's a regular -ER verb, mastering it helps you conjugate hundreds of other French verbs.

2. PENSER À: Thinking About Someone or Something

Use penser à when you are thinking about a person, a thing, or an idea. It expresses the content of your thoughts – what is occupying your mind.

Examples:

• Je pense à toi. – I am thinking about you.
• Il pense à ses vacances. – He is thinking about his holidays.
• Elle pense à son avenir. – She is thinking about her future.
• Nous pensons à notre projet. – We are thinking about our project.
• Vous pensez à quoi ? – What are you thinking about?

Grammar Rule:

When penser à is followed by a definite article, contractions occur:

• penser à + le = penser au (masculine singular)
• penser à + la = penser à la (feminine singular – no contraction)
• penser à + l' = penser à l' (before vowel – no contraction)
• penser à + les = penser aux (plural)

Examples with contractions:

• Je pense au film. – I am thinking about the movie.
• Il pense à la maison. – He is thinking about the house.
• Elle pense aux enfants. – She is thinking about the children.

With stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui, etc.):

• Pense à moi. – Think about me.
• Pense à lui. – Think about him.
• Pense à elle. – Think about her.

With verbs (penser à + infinitive):

When penser à is followed by another verb, that verb is in the infinitive form. This often translates to "thinking about doing something."

• Je pense à partir. – I am thinking about leaving.
• Il pense à changer de travail. – He is thinking about changing jobs.
• Elle pense à acheter une voiture. – She is thinking about buying a car.

Beginner Tip: If you can replace "think about" with "consider" or "reflect on," use penser à.

3. PENSER DE: Having an Opinion About Something

Use penser de when you are asking for or giving an opinion about someone or something. It expresses judgment, evaluation, or assessment.

Examples:

• Que pensez-vous de ce film ? – What do you think of this movie?
• Qu'est-ce que tu penses de Marie ? – What do you think of Marie?
• Je pense du bien de lui. – I think well of him.
• Il pense du mal d'elle. – He thinks badly of her.
• Nous pensons beaucoup de ce projet. – We think highly of this project.

Key Question Words with PENSER DE:

• Que pensez-vous de... – What do you think of...
• Qu'est-ce que tu penses de... – What do you think of... (informal)
• Qu'en pensez-vous ? – What do you think of it? (with the pronoun en replacing the thing being discussed)

Examples with pronouns:

• J'adore ce film. Qu'en penses-tu ? – I love this movie. What do you think of it?
• Je vais acheter cette voiture. Qu'en pensez-vous ? – I'm going to buy this car. What do you think of it?

Common Expressions with PENSER DE:

• penser du bien de – to think well of (to have a good opinion of)
• penser du mal de – to think badly of (to have a poor opinion of)
• penser beaucoup de – to think highly of
• penser tout le bien possible de – to think the best of

Beginner Tip: If you are sharing an opinion or asking for someone's evaluation, use penser de. Remember the phrase: "Qu'est-ce que tu penses de...?"

4. The Big Difference: PENSER À vs PENSER DE

This is the most common source of confusion for English speakers. Here is a clear comparison:

PENSER À (thinking about):

• Focuses on what is in your mind.
• Can be translated as "thinking about," "thinking of," "considering," or "reflecting on."
• Example: Je pense à mes amis. – I am thinking about my friends. (They are in my thoughts.)

PENSER DE (thinking of / having an opinion):

• Focuses on evaluation or judgment.
• Can be translated as "thinking of" (in the sense of having an opinion), "what do you think about."
• Example: Que penses-tu de mes amis ? – What do you think of my friends? (What is your opinion of them?)

Compare these two sentences:

• Je pense à mon professeur. – I am thinking about my teacher. (The teacher is on my mind.)
• Que penses-tu de mon professeur ? – What do you think of my teacher? (What is your opinion of him/her?)

Another Comparison:

• Je pense à ce livre. – I am thinking about this book. (I am considering it, reflecting on it.)
• Que penses-tu de ce livre ? – What do you think of this book? (Do you like it? Is it good?)

Beginner Tip: If you can answer with an opinion (good/bad/like/dislike), use de. If you are just mentioning what's on your mind, use à.

5. PENSER (Without Preposition): Expressing General Thoughts

Sometimes penser is used without any preposition. This happens when you are expressing a general thought, belief, or opinion without referring to a specific person or thing.

Examples:

• Je pense que oui. – I think so.
• Je pense que non. – I think not.
• Je pense qu'il a raison. – I think he is right.
• Elle pense que c'est une bonne idée. – She thinks it's a good idea.
• Nous pensons que vous avez tort. – We think you are wrong.

Grammar Rule:

When penser is followed by a clause introduced by que (that), no preposition is used.

• Je pense que... – I think that...

With negation:

• Je ne pense pas qu'il vienne. – I don't think he is coming. (Note: In French, the negative is placed around the verb before que.)

With adverbs:

• Je pense souvent à toi. – I often think about you. (Here, the adverb souvent modifies pense, and à toi follows.)

Beginner Tip: If you want to say "I think that..." followed by a complete idea, use penser que (without a preposition).

6. Pronunciation Guide

Proper pronunciation of penser and its forms is essential for being understood.

PENSER:

• Pronounced "pahn-say" (the 'en' is nasal, similar to English "pan" but nasal)
• The 'er' at the end is pronounced like "ay"

Conjugated Forms:

• Je pense – "zhuh pahnss"
• Tu penses – "tew pahnss"
• Il/Elle pense – "eel/ehl pahnss"
• Nous pensons – "noo pahn-sohn"
• Vous pensez – "voo pahn-say"
• Ils/Elles pensent – "eel/ehl pahnss" (same pronunciation as singular)

With prepositions:

• penser à – "pahn-say ah"
• penser de – "pahn-say duh"

Beginner Tip: Listen to native speakers pronounce these forms and repeat them. The nasal 'en' sound in penser is distinctly French and takes practice.

7. Common Expressions with PENSER

Learning these fixed expressions will greatly improve your conversational fluency:

• penser à tout – to think of everything
• penser à rien – to think of nothing
• penser à quelqu'un – to think about someone
• penser à quelque chose – to think about something
• faire penser à – to remind one of (literally "to make one think of")
• sans penser à mal – without meaning any harm
• penser tout haut – to think out loud
• penser bien de – to think well of
• penser mal de – to think badly of
• penser du bien de – to think favorably of
• penser du mal de – to think unfavorably of

8. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even intermediate learners sometimes make errors with penser. Watch out for these pitfalls:

• Confusing à and de: ❌ Je pense de toi. → ✅ Je pense à toi. (Unless you mean "What do I think of you?" which would be a question.)
• Using de instead of à for "thinking about": ❌ Qu'est-ce que tu penses à ? → ✅ À quoi penses-tu ? or Qu'est-ce que tu penses de... (for opinion).
• Using à instead of de for opinions: ❌ Qu'est-ce que tu penses à ce film ? → ✅ Qu'est-ce que tu penses de ce film ?
• Forgetting the contraction with à: ❌ Je pense à le film. → ✅ Je pense au film.
• Using "penser que" with a subject when you should use a preposition: ❌ Je pense que à toi. → ✅ Je pense à toi.
• Double preposition error: ❌ Je pense de que... → ✅ Je pense que... (Don't use de before que.)

9. Practice Exercises

Test your understanding with these exercises.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with à, de, or nothing (if using que).

1. Je pense ______ toi.
2. Que penses-tu ______ ce film ?
3. Je pense ______ c'est une bonne idée.
4. Elle pense ______ ses vacances.
5. Qu'est-ce que tu penses ______ Marie ?
6. Nous pensons ______ partir demain.
7. Il pense ______ bien d'elle.

Answers: 1. à, 2. de, 3. que (no preposition), 4. à, 5. de, 6. à, 7. du (de + le = du)

Exercise 2: Translate these sentences into French.

1. I am thinking about you.
2. What do you think of this restaurant?
3. She thinks it's too expensive.
4. He is thinking about his children.
5. We think highly of your work.

Answers: 1. Je pense à toi. 2. Que penses-tu de ce restaurant ? 3. Elle pense que c'est trop cher. 4. Il pense à ses enfants. 5. Nous pensons beaucoup de votre travail. / Nous pensons du bien de votre travail.

Exercise 3: Identify and correct the errors in these sentences.

1. Je pense de toi tous les jours.
2. Qu'est-ce que tu penses à ce livre ?
3. Il pense que à ses problèmes.
4. Nous pensons de que tu as raison.

Answers: 1. Je pense à toi tous les jours. 2. Qu'est-ce que tu penses de ce livre ? 3. Il pense à ses problèmes. 4. Nous pensons que tu as raison.

10. Memory Tricks and Mnemonics

Here are some simple memory aids to help you remember the rules:

• "À" for Attention: When something is in your attention or on your mind, use à. (Both start with 'A'.)
• "DE" for Decision/Opinion: When you are making a judgment or expressing an opinion, use de. (Think "deliberate" or "decide.")
• Question trick: If you can ask "What do you think of...?" use de. If you would say "What are you thinking about?" use à.
• Remember the question words: À quoi penses-tu ? (What are you thinking about?) vs. Que penses-tu de... ? (What do you think of...?)

11. How to Practice PENSER

Consistent practice is the key to mastering penser and its prepositions. Here are some effective strategies:

• Write sentences using penser à and penser de in different contexts daily.
• Practice asking and answering questions: À quoi penses-tu ? and Que penses-tu de... ?
• Read French texts and highlight every instance of penser, noting which preposition is used.
• Listen to French podcasts or watch French videos and pay attention to how native speakers use penser.
• Use flashcards with sentences that have blanks for à, de, or que.
• Write a paragraph about your day using penser in multiple tenses.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the verb penser is essential for expressing your thoughts, opinions, and feelings in French. The key distinction to remember is:

• Penser à = thinking about (what is on your mind)
• Penser de = thinking of (what is your opinion)
• Penser que = thinking that (expressing a belief)

With consistent practice, choosing the right preposition will become automatic. The more you immerse yourself in French, the more intuitive these patterns will become.

Ready to practice? Leave a comment below answering these two questions:

1. À quoi penses-tu en ce moment ? (What are you thinking about right now?)

2. Que penses-tu de cette leçon ? (What do you think of this lesson?)

Use both penser à and penser de in your answers, and we will provide feedback to help you perfect your usage!