incrédulo
/inkɾedulo/from spelling rules
The English word disbelieving is translated into Spanish as incrédulo.
The word is used to describe someone who is disbelieving. In the context of faith or the acceptance of a statement, it is the antonym of creyente (believing/believer).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, you can use ¡No jodás! to express the sentiment "You're joking!" In Colombia, the phrase No lo puedo creer, ¡chévere! is used to mean "I can't believe it, cool!"
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, so use the feminine form incrédula for feminine subjects. Use the masculine plural form incrédulos when describing a group of males or a mixed-gender group. Use the feminine plural form incrédulas when describing a group consisting only of females.
How do you pronounce it?
/inkɾedulo/
Did you know?
- The word incrédulo shares a common ancestor with the English word 'heart', because the Latin root *kerd- implies 'placing one's heart' in a belief.
- While incrédulo describes a state of disbelief, Spanish speakers often use the phrase no me digas to express the same feeling. It literally means 'do not tell me', but functions as 'you don't say!' or 'no way!'
- In certain contexts, a Spanish speaker might use the word increíble as a sarcastic way to express that they are incrédulo. By calling something 'incredible', they are actually signaling that it is too absurd to be believed.
Examples in context
- ¡Adivina qué! ¡Voy a nadar con tiburones! – No me digas, ¡eso es increíble!– Guess what! I'm going to swim with sharks! – You're kidding me, that's amazing!
- Acabo de ganar la lotería. – No lo puedo creer, ¡chévere!– I just won the lottery. – I can't believe it, that's cool!
- Me miró con un gesto incrédulo.He looked at me with a disbelieving gesture.
- Ella tiene un tono incrédulo al hablar.She has a disbelieving tone when she speaks.
Example conversation
Lucía tells Daniel that she won the lottery.
- Lucía¡Daniel, me gané la lotería!Daniel, I won the lottery!
- DanielNo puede ser, estoy incrédulo.It can't be, I'm disbelieving.
- Lucía¡Es verdad, mira el boleto!It's true, look at the ticket!
- Daniel¡Vaya, es verdad, Lucía!Wow, it's true, Lucía!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries incrédulo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
