creer
/kɾeˈeɾ/
To believe in Spanish is to say creer.
The verb creer is used to express accepting something as true. In more formal contexts, you might use Pensar (to think) or Considerar (to consider) to convey a sense of belief.
Meaning: to accept as true (verb)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish creer from confiar. While creer means to accept something as true, confiar is used when you mean to trust someone's character or reliability.
How does it change in a sentence?
There are specific ways to structure your sentences depending on what you are believing. Use creer que when you want to say 'to believe that' regarding a fact or situation. To express belief in the existence of something, such as God or to express trust in someone's abilities, use the preposition en after the verb. If you are referring back to a previously mentioned idea or fact, use the direct object pronoun lo with the verb, as in creerlo.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɾeˈeɾ/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word creer shares a common ancestor with the English word 'credit'. Both stem from the Latin 'credere', which means 'to entrust' or 'to believe'.
- In Spanish, the phrase creerse (the reflexive form of creer) often shifts the meaning from 'to believe' to 'to imagine' or 'to falsely believe' something. For example, se cree que es rico can mean 'he imagines he is rich'.
- In Spanish, the phrase no me lo creo is often used to express shock or disbelief about a surprising event, even if the speaker actually believes the fact is true.
Examples in context
- No sé qué creer.I don't know what to believe.This sentence is useful for expressing uncertainty about what to believe regarding the form creer.Tatoeba #2246789 by Shishir, translation #2240848 by Hybrid
- No vas a creerme.You won't believe me.This sentence shows how to use the form creer in a sentence about not believing someone.Tatoeba #2280473 by hayastan, translation #2280445 by CK
- Él no nos creería.He wouldn't believe us.This sentence demonstrates the conditional use of the form creer.Tatoeba #1331697 by Shishir, translation #297394 by CK
- Creo que es una buena idea.I believe it's a good idea.
- Creo que llegaremos a tiempo.I believe we'll arrive on time.
- No pienso que sea una buena decisión.I don't think it's a good decision.
- Creo que sí, definitivamente.I do believe so, definitely.
- dar crédito a una ideaTo believe in an idea
- 437 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are discussing a news report.
- Daniel¿Puedes creer lo que dice la noticia?Can you believe what the news says?
- MaríaNo, es difícil creer algo así.No, it is hard to believe something like that.
- DanielYo no quiero creer que sea verdad.I don't want to believe it is true.
- MaríaYo también prefiero no creerlo.I also prefer not to believe it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “believe” translations and entries creer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries creer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
