Penser à or de

Hannah R.A1Kwiziq community member

Penser à or de

I'm confused when to use penser à and when to use penser de, and why you would say "la fille à laquelle je pense" instead of "la fille dont je pense" 

This question relates to:French lesson "to think of [doing]"
Asked 6 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Hannah,

Penser à quelqu'un / à quelque chose is to think of someone or something,  in other words, it is something on your mind at this moment.

Je pense à nos vacances déjà! (I am already thinking of our holiday!)

J'ai beaucoup pensé à elle dernièrement. (I have  thought about her a lot latterly.)

You will use penser de when you want an opinion on something or someone. e.g.

Je pense du bien d'elle. (I think well of her.)

Qu'est-ce-que vous pensez de cette robe? (What do you think of/What's your opinion on this dress?)

Que penses-tu de ce film ? (What do you think of/What 's your opinion on this film?

Qu'est ce que tu penses de lui? (What's your opinion on him/What do you think of him)

Hope this helps!

 

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Hannah,

I agree wholeheartedly, to know which verb goes with which preposition can be a frustrating learning experience since there is no rule as far as I can tell.

In the case of penser, it is penser à quelqu'un.

-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Penser à or de

I'm confused when to use penser à and when to use penser de, and why you would say "la fille à laquelle je pense" instead of "la fille dont je pense" 

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