Inklingo

creí

kray-EEkɾeˈi

creí means I believed in Spanish (Expressing a past belief or faith in something/someone.).

I believed

Also: I thought
VerbA2irregular er
A young person standing confidently outdoors, holding their hand out towards a single, glowing golden key floating in the air, symbolizing a past belief or realization.
infinitivecreer
gerundcreyendo
past Participlecreído

📝 In Action

Creí que la película empezaba a las siete.

A2

I thought the movie started at seven.

Siempre creí en tu capacidad para lograrlo.

B1

I always believed in your ability to achieve it.

Por un segundo, creí que me llamabas a mí.

B1

For a second, I thought you were calling me.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • dudé (I doubted)
  • sabía (I knew)

Common Collocations

  • creí que síI thought so
  • creí que noI thought not
  • creí en tiI believed in you

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

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

imperfect

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

preterite

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

subjunctive

present

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

imperfect

él/ella/ustedcreyera
yocreyera
creyeras
ellos/ellas/ustedescreyeran
nosotroscreyéramos
vosotroscreyerais

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "creí" in Spanish:

i believed

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: creí

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses `creí` to describe a sudden thought in the past?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
creer(to believe)Verb
creencia(belief)Noun
creyente(believer)Noun
creíble(believable)Adjective
increíble(unbelievable, incredible)Adjective
🎵 Rhymes
vifuireíleí
📚 Etymology

It comes from the Latin word `credere`, which means 'to believe, to trust, or to entrust'. This Latin root is also the source of English words like 'credit', 'credible', and 'creed'.

First recorded: Around the 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: credereFrench: croirePortuguese: crer

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between `creí` and `pensé`? They both mean 'I thought'.

Great question! They are very similar and often interchangeable. `Creí` often implies a stronger sense of belief or faith in something. `Pensé` is more about a general thought or opinion. For example, `Creí en ti` (I believed in you) is much stronger than `Pensé en ti` (I thought about you).

Why does the accent mark on `creí` matter so much?

The accent on the final 'í' is super important because it tells you how to pronounce the word and that it's a past tense form for 'yo' (I). Without it, it wouldn't be a recognized word. This little mark carries all the grammatical weight!