je crois
je crois is the French way to say 'I believe'.
je crois is a phrase used to express an opinion or a belief that something is true.
Which one should you use?
There are two main ways to use this phrase depending on what follows it. Use je crois en when expressing faith or trust in a person, a deity or a concept. Use je crois que when you want to follow the phrase with a clause, such as 'I believe that he is coming'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, you may hear the informal expression J'crois ben to mean 'I believe'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb is conjugated in the present tense for the first person singular 'je'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When you want to say 'I believe that…' followed by a subject and a verb, remember to include que after je crois. English speakers often forget to include this word.
Did you know?
- In French, when you say je crois que in the negative as je ne crois pas que, you must usually switch the following verb to the subjunctive mood instead of the indicative.
- The word croire shares a root with the English word 'credit', as both stem from the Latin 'credere' meaning to trust or believe.
- The verb croire is used in the common idiom croire dur comme fer, which means to believe something 'as hard as iron', indicating an unshakable conviction.
Examples in context
- Je crois en lui.I believe in him.This sentence shows how to use je crois to express belief in someone else.Tatoeba #133604 by sacredceltic, translation #260942 by CK
- Je crois en moi.I believe in myself.This sentence shows how to use je crois to express belief in oneself.Tatoeba #3079276 by sacredceltic, translation #2857294 by AlanF_US
- Je crois en vous.I believe in you.This sentence shows how to use je crois to express belief in you.Tatoeba #8676056 by Julien_PDC, translation #237698 by CK
- Je crois en la réussite de ce projet.I believe in the success of this project.
- J'estime que cette décision est la meilleure.I believe/judge that this decision is the best.
- Je suis convaincu(e) que cette approche est la plus adéquate.I believe/ am convinced that this approach is the most suitable.
- À mon avis, il faut prendre des mesures plus strictes.In my opinion, stricter measures should be taken.
- Je suis persuadé(e) que cet artiste sera très populaire.I believe/ am convinced that this artist will be very popular.
- 181 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing whether they should take the bus.
- LucasJe crois que le bus est déjà passé.I believe the bus has already passed.
- ManonTu es sûr, Lucas ?Are you sure, Lucas?
- LucasOui, je crois qu'on doit marcher.Yes, I believe we have to walk.
- ManonD'accord, allons-y.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
