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SPANISH VERB

creer

to think, to believe

  • #20 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Gerund: creyendo
  • Past participle: creído

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I think
  2. tú you think
  3. usted, él, ella he/she thinks
  4. nosotros we think
  5. vosotros Spain you all think
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they think

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I thought
  2. tú you thought
  3. usted, él, ella he/she thought
  4. nosotros we thought
  5. vosotros Spain you all thought
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they thought

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to think
  2. tú you used to think
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to think
  4. nosotros we used to think
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to think
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to think

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will think
  2. tú you will think
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will think
  4. nosotros we will think
  5. vosotros Spain you all will think
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will think

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would think
  2. tú you would think
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would think
  4. nosotros we would think
  5. vosotros Spain you all would think
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would think

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I think
  2. tú (that) you think
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she think
  4. nosotros (that) we think
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all think
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they think

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I thought
  2. tú (if) you thought
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she thought
  4. nosotros (if) we thought
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all thought
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they thought

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú think!
  2. usted think! (formal)
  3. nosotros think! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain think! (all of you)
  5. ustedes think! (all of you)

How to use creer

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Creo que va a llover esta tarde.

    I think it's going to rain this afternoon.

  2. Past

    Nadie me creyó cuando conté la historia.

    Nobody believed me when I told the story.

  3. Imperfect

    De niño, creía en los Reyes Magos.

    As a boy, I believed in the Three Kings.

  4. Future

    Ya verás, nadie creerá que es tu hija.

    You'll see, nobody will believe she is your daughter.

  5. Conditional

    Yo no creería todo lo que dice el noticiero.

    I wouldn't believe everything the news says.

  6. Present subjunctive

    No creo que crean esa excusa en la oficina.

    I don't think they will buy that excuse at the office.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Si creyeras en ti, lo lograrías.

    If you believed in yourself, you would make it.

  8. Imperative

    Créeme, este mole es el mejor de Puebla.

    Believe me, this mole is the best in Puebla.

Good to know

  • Creo que sí and creo que no: I think so, I don't think so.
  • Creer en is to believe in someone or something.

Where you hear creer

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 1

  • Creo que va a llover. I think it's going to rain.
  • Creí que era tarde. I thought it was late.
  • No lo vas a creer. You're not going to believe it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 2

  • Creemos que sus almas regresan. We believe that their souls come back.
  • Creí que era triste. I thought it was sad.
  • No lo vas a creer. You're not going to believe it.
20
I Like the Rain

Beginner Level 1 · creo que · Creo que sí. · Creo que no.

Needs a subscription 21
What Is the Day of the Dead?

Beginner Level 2 · creemos

Needs a subscription 23
The Best Mole in Oaxaca

Beginner Level 2 · no lo creo

Needs a subscription 13
The Pyramid

Beginner Level 3 · creían

Needs a subscription 29
Always Welcome

Beginner Level 3 · creer

Needs a subscription 9
Just a Coffee

Intermediate Level 1 · no creo que

Needs a subscription 30
The End of Summer

Intermediate Level 2 · No te habría creído. · No te creo.

Needs a subscription 23
It's Not Spicy at All

Advanced Level 3 · nunca te creyeras

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.