creer Imperfect Conjugation
creer — to think
The imperfect of creer is regular: creía, creías, creía, creíamos, creíais, creían.
creer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing beliefs or mindsets in the past ('I used to think') or to set the scene.
Notes on creer in the Imperfect
Creer follows the regular -er pattern for the imperfect, but remember that every single form has an accent on the 'í'.
Example Sentences
Yo creía que vivías en Madrid.
I thought you lived in Madrid.
yo
De niños, creíamos en Papá Noel.
As kids, we believed in Santa Claus.
nosotros
Ellos creían que el examen era mañana.
They thought the exam was tomorrow.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'i'.
Correct: Always write the accent: creía, creíamos.
Why: In the imperfect of -er and -ir verbs, the 'i' is always stressed and requires an accent.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: creo
The present tense of creer is regular: creo, crees, cree, creemos, creéis, creen.
Preterite
yo: creí
The preterite of creer is irregular in the third person, where the 'i' changes to a 'y': creyó and creyeron.
Future
yo: creeré
The future tense of creer is regular: creeré, creerás, creerá, creeremos, creeréis, creerán.
Conditional
yo: creería
The conditional of creer is regular: creería, creerías, creería, creeríamos, creeríais, creerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: crea
The present subjunctive of creer is regular: crea, creas, crea, creamos, creáis, crean.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: creyera
The imperfect subjunctive of creer is irregular, using the 'y': creyera, creyeras, creyera, creyéramos, creyerais, creyeran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cree
The affirmative imperative of creer is: cree (tú), crea (usted), cread (vosotros), crean (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no creas
The negative imperative of creer uses the present subjunctive: no creas, no crea, no creamos, no creáis, no crean.