Le verbe to think est un verbe irrégulier incontournable en anglais : il exprime la réflexion, l'opinion et la supposition. Ses trois formes de base sont think – thought – thought. Voici l'ensemble de ses conjugaisons, avec les usages essentiels à maîtriser dans un contexte professionnel.
Conjugaison de "think" : toutes les formes du verbe To Think
Présent simple
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | think |
| You | think |
| He / She / It | thinks |
| We | think |
| You | think |
| They | think |
⚠️ Comme pour tous les verbes anglais, la 3e personne du singulier prend un -s : he thinks, she thinks.
Présent continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | am thinking |
| You | are thinking |
| He / She / It | is thinking |
| We | are thinking |
| You | are thinking |
| They | are thinking |
"I am thinking about your proposal" — formule courante en réunion ou en négociation commerciale.
Prétérit simple
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | thought |
| You | thought |
| He / She / It | thought |
| We | thought |
| You | thought |
| They | thought |
Prétérit continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | was thinking |
| You | were thinking |
| He / She / It | was thinking |
| We | were thinking |
| You | were thinking |
| They | were thinking |
Present perfect
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | have thought |
| You | have thought |
| He / She / It | has thought |
| We | have thought |
| You | have thought |
| They | have thought |
Present perfect continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | have been thinking |
| You | have been thinking |
| He / She / It | has been thinking |
| We | have been thinking |
| You | have been thinking |
| They | have been thinking |
"We have been thinking about restructuring the team" — usage typique en contexte RH ou managérial.
Plus-que-parfait
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | had thought |
| You | had thought |
| He / She / It | had thought |
| We | had thought |
| You | had thought |
| They | had thought |
Plus-que-parfait continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | had been thinking |
| You | had been thinking |
| He / She / It | had been thinking |
| We | had been thinking |
| You | had been thinking |
| They | had been thinking |
Futur simple
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | will think |
| You | will think |
| He / She / It | will think |
| We | will think |
| You | will think |
| They | will think |
Futur continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | will be thinking |
| You | will be thinking |
| He / She / It | will be thinking |
| We | will be thinking |
| You | will be thinking |
| They | will be thinking |
Futur antérieur
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | will have thought |
| You | will have thought |
| He / She / It | will have thought |
| We | will have thought |
| You | will have thought |
| They | will have thought |
Futur antérieur continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | will have been thinking |
| You | will have been thinking |
| He / She / It | will have been thinking |
| We | will have been thinking |
| You | will have been thinking |
| They | will have been thinking |
Conditionnel présent
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | would think |
| You | would think |
| He / She / It | would think |
| We | would think |
| You | would think |
| They | would think |
Conditionnel continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | would be thinking |
| You | would be thinking |
| He / She / It | would be thinking |
| We | would be thinking |
| You | would be thinking |
| They | would be thinking |
Conditionnel passé
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | would have thought |
| You | would have thought |
| He / She / It | would have thought |
| We | would have thought |
| You | would have thought |
| They | would have thought |
Conditionnel passé continu
| Pronom | Forme |
|---|
| I | would have been thinking |
| You | would have been thinking |
| He / She / It | would have been thinking |
| We | would have been thinking |
| You | would have been thinking |
| They | would have been thinking |
Formes non conjuguées
| Forme | Valeur |
|---|
| Infinitif | to think |
| Participe présent | thinking |
| Participe passé | thought |
| Impératif | Think / Let's think |
Think, Thought, Thinking : comment distinguer chaque forme ?
Think s'utilise au présent simple pour exprimer une opinion ou une croyance :
- I think this strategy is the right one.
- Do you think we should postpone the meeting?
Thought est à la fois le prétérit et le participe passé — une même forme pour deux usages distincts :
- Prétérit : She thought the deal was closed. (action passée)
- Participe passé : We had thought about it before the negotiation. (avec had)
Thinking est le participe présent, utilisé pour les formes continues et comme gérondif :
- Continu : He is thinking about the offer.
- Gérondif : Thinking strategically is a key skill in management.
La forme thought ne change pas entre le prétérit et le participe passé — c'est l'un des avantages de ce verbe irrégulier par rapport à d'autres comme to go (went / gone).
To Think dans un contexte professionnel : usages clés
To think est omniprésent dans les échanges professionnels en anglais, notamment pour formuler une opinion de façon nuancée ou diplomatique :
| Exemple | Usage |
|---|
| I think we should revisit the budget. | formulation d'une recommandation en réunion |
| What do you think about this proposal? | solliciter l'avis d'un interlocuteur |
| We are thinking of expanding to new markets. | annonce d'une stratégie commerciale |
| I thought you had already sent the contract. | clarification dans un échange écrit ou oral |
Savoir utiliser think à bon escient — avec la forme et le temps adaptés — permet de nuancer son discours, d'exprimer des réserves ou d'avancer des suggestions avec la juste dose de diplomatie attendue en contexte international.
FAQ – Conjugaison du verbe To Think en anglais
"Think" est-il un verbe irrégulier ?
Oui. To think est irrégulier : son prétérit et son participe passé sont tous deux thought, sans terminaison -ed. Il fait partie des verbes irréguliers anglais les plus courants à mémoriser.
Quelle est la différence entre "I think" et "I am thinking" ?
I think exprime une opinion ou une conviction stable : I think this is the best option. I am thinking décrit un processus de réflexion en cours au moment où l'on parle : I am thinking about your offer. En anglais professionnel, I am thinking introduit souvent une nuance de délibération ou d'hésitation.
Comment exprimer "je pensais que…" en anglais ?
On utilise le prétérit : I thought that… — par exemple I thought the meeting was at 3 pm. Si l'action est antérieure à un autre événement passé, on recourt au plus-que-parfait : I had thought the project was finished before they changed the scope.
Comment utiliser "thinking" comme gérondif ?
Le gérondif thinking fonctionne comme un nom en début de phrase : Thinking ahead is essential in project management. Il s'utilise aussi après certaines prépositions : Thank you for thinking of us.
Maîtriser To Think à l'oral : au-delà des tableaux
Connaître la conjugaison de to think est une base solide. Ce qui fait réellement la différence dans un contexte professionnel international, c'est de mobiliser ces formes instinctivement — pour formuler une opinion claire, nuancer une position ou piloter une discussion en anglais.
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