This is the 10967th most frequent French word.
pensait
"Pensait" means "thought" (imperfect tense of "think").
In this sentence, 'pensait' is used in the imparfait tense to describe a habitual action of thinking about something in the past.
Elle pensait à son enfance souvent.
She thought about her childhood often.
Here, 'pensait' expresses someone's assumption or belief about a situation described also in the past.
Il pensait qu'il avait perdu son portefeuille.
He thought that he had lost his wallet.
In this instance, 'pensais' is part of a reported speech or thought, involving the progressive aspect of thought at a past moment.