Present
Presente · now, habits and facts
- io I believe
- tu you believe
- lui, lei, Lei he/she believes
- noi we believe
- voi you all believe
- loro they believe
ITALIAN VERB
credere
to believe
- #23 most used
- Regular -ere verb
- Past participle: creduto
- Gerund: credendo
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”
- io I believed
- tu you believed
- lui, lei, Lei he/she believed
- noi we believed
- voi you all believed
- loro they believed
Imperfect
Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”
- io I used to believe
- tu you used to believe
- lui, lei, Lei he/she used to believe
- noi we used to believe
- voi you all used to believe
- loro they used to believe
Future
Futuro semplice · plans and guesses
- io I will believe
- tu you will believe
- lui, lei, Lei he/she will believe
- noi we will believe
- voi you all will believe
- loro they will believe
Conditional
Condizionale · “would”, polite requests
- io I would believe
- tu you would believe
- lui, lei, Lei he/she would believe
- noi we would believe
- voi you all would believe
- loro they would believe
Present subjunctive
Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”
- io (that) I believe
- tu (that) you believe
- lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she believe
- noi (that) we believe
- voi (that) you all believe
- loro (that) they believe
Imperative
Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi
- tu believe!
- Lei believe! (formal)
- noi believe! (let’s)
- voi believe! (all of you)
How to use credere
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
Non ci credo, è uno scherzo?
I don't believe it, is it a joke?
-
Past
Ti ho creduto, ma non era vero.
I believed you, but it wasn't true.
-
Imperfect
Da bambina credevo a Babbo Natale.
As a child I believed in Father Christmas.
-
Future
Nessuno ti crederà, è troppo strano.
Nobody will believe you, it's too strange.
-
Conditional
Non crederesti mai a quello che ho visto.
You'd never believe what I saw.
-
Present subjunctive
Non penso che mi credano, ma è la verità.
I don't think they believe me, but it's the truth.
-
Imperative
Credimi, è il miglior gelato della città.
Believe me, it's the best ice cream in town.
Good to know
- Credere a is to believe someone or something: non ci credo; credere in is to believe in: credo in te.
- Credo di sì is I think so; credo di no is I don't think so.
Where you hear credere
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Italian · Beginner Level 3
- Non ci credo! I don't believe it!
- Non ho creduto a Gino. I didn't believe Gino.
- Ti crederò, tesoro. I will believe you, sweetheart.
Italian · Intermediate Level 1
- Non ci credo! I don't believe it!
- Non ho creduto a Gino. I didn't believe Gino.
- Ti crederò, tesoro. I will believe you, sweetheart.
10
Nonna's Thanks
Needs a subscription
15
Beginner Level 3 · Gino? Non ci credo!
Walter's Test
Needs a subscription
28
Intermediate Level 1 · Davvero? Non ci credevo!
Packing Up
Needs a subscription
1
Intermediate Level 1 · Credo di sì.
Arriving at the Masseria
Free
2
Intermediate Level 2 · Allora credo che abbia bisogno di me.
Nunzia's Kitchen
Free
5
Intermediate Level 2 · Non credo che sia piccola.
Chiara Arrives
Needs a subscription
11
Intermediate Level 2 · Sempre! Credo che sia innamorato di te. · Dici? Non ci credo!
The Wedding Day
Needs a subscription
16
Intermediate Level 2 · Credo di sì. Il pesce è in forno. · Credo di no.
Ciro's Doubts
Needs a subscription
23
Intermediate Level 2 · Non ti dice di no. Credimi.
Ninety Candles
Needs a subscription
15
Intermediate Level 3 · Novanta! Non ci credo.
The Building Permit
Needs a subscription
24
Advanced Level 1 · Credo di sì. Ecco i documenti.
After the Speech
Needs a subscription
26
Advanced Level 2 · Il consigliere? Non ci credo.
Speaking at the Feast
Needs a subscription
Advanced Level 3 · Grazie a chi ha creduto in questo forno.
And 2 more lessons.
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ere verb.