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creen

KREH-enˈkɾe.en

“creen” means “they believe” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

they believe

Also: you (plural, formal) believe
VerbA1regular (with spelling changes) er
Three diverse people standing together, looking upward with expressions of hope and conviction toward a single, brilliant, golden light in the sky, symbolizing shared belief or faith.
infinitivecreer
gerundcreyendo
past Participlecreído

📝 In Action

Ellos creen en la justicia.

A2

They believe in justice.

¿Ustedes creen en el destino?

A2

Do you (all) believe in destiny?

Muchas culturas antiguas creen en múltiples dioses.

B1

Many ancient cultures believe in multiple gods.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • confían (they trust)

Antonyms

  • dudan (they doubt)

Common Collocations

  • creen firmemente en – they firmly believe in
  • creen ciegamente en – they blindly believe in

they think

Also: you (plural, formal) think
VerbA1regular (with spelling changes) er
Three figures gathered around a table, pointing at a single, glowing lightbulb floating above the table, indicating they share the same opinion or thought.
infinitivecreer
gerundcreyendo
past Participlecreído

📝 In Action

Ellos creen que es una buena idea.

A1

They think that it's a good idea.

¿Por qué creen que el proyecto fracasó?

B1

Why do they think the project failed?

Los expertos creen que la economía mejorará pronto.

B2

The experts think the economy will improve soon.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • piensan (they think)
  • opinan (they opine)
  • suponen (they suppose)

Antonyms

  • saben (they know (for a fact))

Common Collocations

  • creen que sí – they think so
  • creen que no – they think not

Indicative

Present

yocreo
túcrees
él/ella/ustedcree
nosotroscreemos
vosotroscreéis
ellos/ellas/ustedescreen

Imperfect

yocreía
túcreías
él/ella/ustedcreía
nosotroscreíamos
vosotroscreíais
ellos/ellas/ustedescreían

Preterite

yocreí
túcreíste
él/ella/ustedcreyó
nosotroscreímos
vosotroscreísteis
ellos/ellas/ustedescreyeron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yocrea
túcreas
él/ella/ustedcrea
nosotroscreamos
vosotroscreáis
ellos/ellas/ustedescrean

Imperfect Subjunctive

yocreyera
túcreyeras
él/ella/ustedcreyera
nosotroscreyéramos
vosotroscreyerais
ellos/ellas/ustedescreyeran
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "creen" in Spanish:

they believe→they think→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: creen

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence correctly uses 'creen' to express a belief in a concept?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
creer(to believe, to think) — Verb
creencia(belief) — Noun
creyente(believer) — Noun / Adjective
creíble(believable, credible) — Adjective
increíble(unbelievable, incredible) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
leenproveenposeen
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'crēdere,' which meant 'to trust, to believe.' It's related to the roots for 'heart' (cor) and 'to put' (dere), so it originally had the beautiful idea of 'placing your heart' in something.

First recorded: Around the 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: creemItalian: credonoFrench: croientEnglish: creed, credible

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'creen' and 'piensan'?

They are very similar and often interchangeable when expressing an opinion. However, 'creen' can imply a stronger conviction or a gut feeling ('I believe this to be true'), while 'piensan' can relate more to an active mental process or thought ('I'm thinking this over'). For everyday opinions like 'They think it will rain,' you can use either.

Is 'creen' for 'they' or for 'you'?

Both! It's for 'ellos/ellas' (they) and for 'ustedes' (you all). You can tell who it is from the context of the conversation. For example, if I'm talking *about* my friends, 'creen' means 'they believe'. If I'm talking *to* my friends respectfully, 'creen' means 'you all believe'.

Why does 'creer' sometimes change to 'creyó' or 'creyeron'?

This is a common spelling rule in Spanish. When an '-er' or '-ir' verb stem ends in a vowel (like 'cre-' in creer), the 'i' of the ending changes to a 'y' in some past tense forms to make it easier to pronounce. You see the same thing in 'leer' (leyó, leyeron) and 'oír' (oyó, oyeron).