The single most confused pair in intermediate French.
Penser à means to have someone or something in mind: « je pense à toi » — I’m thinking of you. It is affection, memory, preoccupation.
Penser de asks for a judgement, and it appears almost only in questions: « qu’est-ce que tu penses de ce film ? » — what do you think of this film? Answering it, you switch back: « je pense que c’est bien ». So you are asked with de and you reply with que. Getting this backwards is the classic B1 error.
💡 Focus at this level: penser à vs penser de
1. À = in my mind. People, plans, worries. « Je pense à mon travail. »
2. De = your verdict, in a question. « Que penses-tu de… ? »
3. Never answer with « de ». The reply is always « je pense que… ».
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