penses

Penses is a common French word form that functions as a verb rather than a noun. It is the second-person singular present indicative form of the verb penser, which means to think. It is used with the subject tu, as in "Tu penses souvent à l’avenir" (You often think about the future).

Grammatical notes: Penses appears in affirmative statements, questions, and negations. In questions, it can occur with subject-verb inversion ("Penses-tu que... ?") or with est-ce que ("Est-ce que tu penses... ?"). The -es ending marks the tu form for most -er verbs in the present tense. The corresponding forms are je pense, il pense, nous pensons, vous pensez, ils pensent.

Etymology and related forms: The verb penser comes from Latin pensare, meaning to weigh or ponder. The noun pensée (thought) shares the same root, and its plural pensées means thoughts. The spelled form Pensées with a capital P refers to the plural noun in French, including the famous work Pensées by Blaise Pascal, a collection of reflections published posthumously in 1670.

Usage notes: Penses is one of the most common verbs for expressing thinking, beliefs, or opinions in everyday French, usable across informal and formal registers. It forms part of the essential verb system for discussing mental states and propositions, with other conjugated forms such as je pense, il pense, nous pensons, and vous pensez.