How to Say "believed" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “believed” is “creyó” — use 'creyó' when referring to a specific, completed act of believing in the past, often translated as 'he/she/you (formal) believed'..
English → Spanish
creyó
verbA2general
Use 'creyó' when referring to a specific, completed act of believing in the past, often translated as 'he/she/you (formal) believed'.
Examples
Ella creyó la excusa que le dio su hijo.
She believed the excuse her son gave her.
creído
past participleA2general
Use 'creído' as part of compound tenses, such as the present perfect ('have believed') or past perfect ('had believed'), to express an action that started in the past and continues or has relevance to the present.
Examples
Nunca he creído en fantasmas.
I have never believed in ghosts.
Simple Past vs. Perfect Tenses
The most common mistake is using 'creyó' when a perfect tense is required. Remember that 'creyó' is a standalone past tense verb, while 'creído' is a participle that needs an auxiliary verb like 'haber' (he, has, han) to form perfect tenses.
Related Translations
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