Simple:
* The children pretend they are pirates on the playground.
* I pretended not to hear the phone ringing.
* He pretends to be a superhero.
More Complex:
* She pretended to be happy, but I could see the sadness in her eyes.
* He pretends to be wealthy, but he's actually quite poor.
* Let's pretend we're on a tropical island for a moment.
As a Verb:
* I like to pretend I'm a famous singer when I'm in the shower.
* Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.
As a Noun:
* It was all just a pretend, a way to get our attention.
* She put on a good pretend for the interview.
In a Phrase:
* We were just playing pretend.
* Stop pretending to be someone you're not.
The way you use "pretend" will depend on the context and what you want to express.