Two people sitting on a bench, looking thoughtful with small thought bubbles above their heads.

creíamos

kre-EE-ah-mohs

verbA2regular er

we thought?having an opinion in the past

Also:we used to believe?a past habit or long-term faith,we were under the impression?when you later found out you were wrong

Quick Reference

gerundcreyendo

past Participlecreído

infinitivecreer

📝 In Action

Creíamos que la tienda estaba abierta.

We thought the store was open.

De niños, creíamos en la magia.

As children, we used to believe in magic.

Creíamos que no venías.

We were under the impression you weren't coming.

Word Connections

Synonyms

pensábamos (we thought)
opinábamos (we were of the opinion)

Antonyms

dudábamos (we doubted)

Common Collocations

Creíamos que sí – We thought so
Eso creíamos nosotros – That's what we thought

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Used to' past form

This word uses the 'imperfect' tense, which is perfect for describing a state of mind or a belief that lasted for a while in the past.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Don't forget the accent

Mistake: "creiamos"

Correction: creíamos (The accent on the 'í' is required to keep the 'e' and 'i' sounds separate).

⭐ Usage Tips

Setting the Scene

Use 'creíamos' when you are setting the background of a story or explaining why you did something based on what you thought at the time.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescreyeran

yocreyera

túcreyeras

vosotroscreyerais

nosotroscreyéramos

él/ella/ustedcreyera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescrean

yocrea

túcreas

vosotroscreáis

nosotroscreamos

él/ella/ustedcrea

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedescreyeron

yocreí

túcreíste

vosotroscreísteis

nosotroscreímos

él/ella/ustedcreyó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescreían

yocreía

túcreías

vosotroscreíais

nosotroscreíamos

él/ella/ustedcreía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescreen

yocreo

túcrees

vosotroscreéis

nosotroscreemos

él/ella/ustedcree

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: creíamos

Question 1 of 1

If you want to say 'We used to believe in ghosts,' which would you use?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

creer(to believe) - verb

creencia(belief) - noun

creíble(believable) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'creíamos' and 'creímos'?

'Creíamos' describes a continuous thought or belief (We used to think/we were thinking), while 'creímos' describes a completed action at a specific moment (We thought/believed at that one time).