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"Pensaba" is a form of "pensaba", a phrase which is often translated as "I thought". "Pensó" is a form of "pensar", a transitive verb which is often translated as "to think". Learn more about the difference between "pensaba" and "pensó" below.
pensaba(
pehn
-
sah
-
bah
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. I thought
Pensaba que mi esposo me engañaba, así que contraté a un detective privado.I thought my husband was cheating on me, so I hired a private detective.
a. he thought (masculine)
A word or phrase that is masculine (e.g., el libro).
Julio me dijo una vez que pensaba que tú eras gay.Julio once said to me he thought you were gay.
b. she thought (feminine)
A word or phrase that is feminine (e.g., la manzana).
Yo no conocía bien a Estefanía, así que no estaba seguro de qué pensaba de mí.I didn't know Estefania well, so I wasn't sure what she thought of me.
3. (formal) (you believed; imperfect indicative; second person singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
a. you thought
Pensaba que podría ocultarle esto a la policía, ¿no es cierto?You thought you could hide this from the police, didn't you?
a. I was planning
Pensaba ir al cine mañana. ¿Quieres venir conmigo?I was planning to go to the movies tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?
c. I intended
Pensaba escribir una secuela de mi anterior novela, pero he cambiado de idea.I intended to write a sequel to my previous novel, but I changed my mind.
pensar(
pehn
-
sahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
1. (to reflect)
2. (to believe)
pensarse
A reflexive verb is a verb that indicates that the subject performs an action on itself (e.g., Miguel se lava.).
a. to think of oneself as
Ella se piensa la hija preferida de la familia.She thinks of herself as the family's favorite child.
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to think
¿Vas a aceptar la oferta? - No sé; tendré que pensármelo.Are you going to accept the offer? - I don't know; I'll have to think about it.
b. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Le dije que sí sin pensármelo dos veces.I agreed without giving it a second thought.
Tendrás que pensártelo, ¿no? No tienes porque decidirte ya.You'll have to think it over, won't you? You don't have to decide yet.
6. (to believe)
