Learn Italian: Penso di sì.

Penso di sì.

I think so.

Breakdown of Penso di sì.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Italian now

Questions & Answers about Penso di sì.

Why do we use di here? Doesn't it mean "of"?

Yes, di usually means "of". In Italian, you cannot translate "I think so" word-for-word. Instead, you literally say "I think of yes" (Penso di sì). To say "I don't think so," you say Penso di no ("I think of no").

Could I just say Penso così since così means "so"?

No, that would sound unnatural. While così means "so" or "like this" in other contexts (such as describing how to do something), answering a question with "I think so" requires the fixed phrase di sì.

How does this relate to sapere (to know), which we are learning in this lesson?

While this lesson focuses on sapere, which is used for facts and certainty (like Lo so for "I know it"), pensare is used for opinions or guesses. You use Penso di sì precisely when you don't fully "know" the answer.

Can I use di sì with other verbs?

Absolutely! You will frequently hear di sì and di no paired with other opinion verbs. Common examples include Credo di sì (I believe so) and Spero di sì (I hope so).