Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Pensé que estabas enfadada conmigo, pero solo fue un malentendido. - I thought you were angry with me, but it was only a misunderstanding.

Breakdown of Pensé que estabas enfadada conmigo, pero solo fue un malentendido.

Why is it pensé and not pensaba?

Pensé is the preterite of pensar, and here it means I thought at a particular moment in the past.

Pensé que... = I thought that... / I assumed that...
Pensaba que... would sound more like I used to think... or I was thinking..., depending on context.

So:

Pensé que estabas enfadada conmigo = at one moment, I got the idea that you were angry with me.
Pensaba que estabas enfadada conmigo = I had that belief for some time, or that was my ongoing impression.

Why is it estabas and not estuviste?

Because estar enfadada describes a state or condition, and in this sentence that state is seen as ongoing/backgrounded in the past.

estabas enfadada = you were angry
estuviste enfadada = you were angry too, but it sounds more like a completed, bounded period of time

After Pensé que..., Spanish often uses the imperfect to describe what someone seemed to be feeling or being at that time:

So estabas fits the idea of what I believed your state was.

Why does it say enfadada and not enfadado?