Penser - to think - Lawless French Verb


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Thinking French Verb

The regular -er verb penser, "to think," is ubiquitous and very useful, but can also be a little tricky when it comes to prepositions.

Penser is used just like "to think."

Par exemple…

Penser followed directly by an infinitive means "to intend / plan to" or "to hope to":

Je pense partir avant la fin.		I’m planning to leave before the end.
Nous pensons voyager cet été.		We’re hoping to travel this summer.

In front of a noun, penser à means "to think about" as in "to consider, have on one’s mind":

Je pense à mes enfants.		I’m thinking about my children.
Nous pensons à Paris pour cet été.		We’re thinking about Paris for this summer, thinking about going to Paris this summer.

The noun may be implied:

À quoi tu penses ?		What are you thinking about?
Pensez-y.		Think about it, Consider it.

Remember: à + noun can be replaced by the adverbial pronoun y.

Penser à plus an infinitive means "to have in mind to" or "to remember to":

Je pense à partir avant la fin.		I’m considering leaving before the end.
Pense à acheter les billets.		Remember to buy the tickets.

With a noun, penser de means "to think about" in the sense of "having an opinion on":

Qu’est-ce que tu penses de ce livre ?		What do you think about this book?
Nous ne savons pas ce qu’il pense de Paris.		We don’t know what he thinks about Paris.

Remember: de + noun can be replaced by the adverbial pronoun en.

Qu’en pensez-vous ?		What do you think (about it)?
Je me demande ce qu’elle en pense.		I wonder what she thinks about it.

Penser de plus an infinitive means "to have an opinion about doing" or "to consider doing":

Qu’est-ce que tu penses de partir tôt ?		What do you think / How do you feel about leaving early?
Nous pensons d’aller à Paris cet été.		We’re thinking about going to Paris this summer.