What does penser mean in french

Here are two examples:. Pensez-y avant de partir. Think about it before leaving. She had thought of coming next week. To understand why this is wrong, we have to look at detail of French grammar. I tried to call you. We have decided to leave tomorrow. I tried to understand. We insisted on meeting you. You are requested to take your seat in the hall.

Here are some examples:. Vous pouvez partir maintenant. You can leave now. I prefer to order right away. Nous allons acheter une maison. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. By ThoughtCo Team. Updated January 17, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Team, ThoughtCo. Common French Expressions Using Savoir. Au Contraire - French Expression Explained. The French verb penser is an important word to know because it means "to think.

This lesson will demonstrate how to do that and form the present, past, and future tenses of penser. Verb conjugations in French are the equivalent of adding an - ing ending in English to forms words like "thinking. French students will be happy to know that penser is a regular - er verb. It follows the most common conjugation pattern found in French. If you've studied similar words like passer to pass or demander to ask , then this lesson will be easier because it applies the same endings.

In the simplest form, this is done in the indicative mood for the present, future, and imperfect past tenses. These are the forms of penser that you will use most often, so "I am thinking" is je pense and "we will think" is nous penserons. To help you commit these to memory, try using the conjugation in simple sentences.

If you need some ideas, there are plenty of common phrases that use penser. The present participle of penser is pensant. Notice how this was formed by simply adding - ant to the verb stem. Consider the conjugations above to be your top priority when studying penser. When you're comfortable with those, add these other simple conjugations to your vocabulary. Each of these has a specific purpose.

For example, the subjunctive expresses uncertainty in the action of thinking while the conditional says that something else must happen in order to think. You will use the imperative form of penser when saying direct and very short commands such as "Think!