creí
/kray-EE/
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Creí que la película empezaba a las siete.
A2I thought the movie started at seven.
Siempre creí en tu capacidad para lograrlo.
B1I always believed in your ability to achieve it.
Por un segundo, creí que me llamabas a mí.
B1For a second, I thought you were calling me.
💡 Grammar Points
A Specific Past Action
Creí is used for a belief or thought that happened at a specific, finished moment in the past. Think of it as a single event: 'At that moment, I thought...'
Spelling Change Alert!
The verb creer changes its spelling for 'he/she' (creyó) and 'they' (creyeron) in this past tense. The 'i' becomes a 'y'. This happens with other verbs like leer (to read) and oír (to hear).
❌ Common Pitfalls
A Moment vs. A Period of Time (`Creí` vs. `Creía`)
Mistake: "Cuando era niño, creí en los Reyes Magos."
Correction: Cuando era niño, creía en los Reyes Magos. (When I was a child, I used to believe in the Three Wise Men.) Use `creía` for ongoing beliefs or thoughts in the past, and `creí` for a single, completed thought or a belief that ended abruptly.
⭐ Usage Tips
Expressing a Mistake Politely
You can use Creí que... ('I thought that...') to explain why you did something wrong. It's a soft way to admit you had the wrong information, for example: Perdón por llegar tarde, creí que la cita era a las 3. (Sorry I'm late, I thought the appointment was at 3.)
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: creí
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses `creí` to describe a sudden thought in the past?
📚 More Resources
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!