Creer Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

In this guide, you will learn every conjugation for the Spanish verb “creer,” which means “to believe”.

You’ll learn how to conjugate “creer” in various tenses, and I’ll provide example sentences with English translations to help you see each verb conjugation in context.

“Creer” is a regular verb so it follows a specific conjugation pattern. Like many verbs ending in -ER, it is an easy verb to learn.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and host of the Learn Spanish With James Podcast. 

This site is all about learning Spanish verb conjugations in a way that makes them simple, and maybe even fun! 😉

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	creo
you	tú	crees
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	cree
we	nosotros,nosotras	creemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	creéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	creen

When we use the Present Tense

In Spanish, the present tense indicates habitual actions, as well as actions currently happening or something to happen in the near future.

In order to conjugate “creer” in the present tense, remove the infinitive ending (-er) and add the appropriate endings for each subject. 

For example: “Yo creo en Dios” (I believe in God.) This is the present tense.

Other examples with spelling for each conjugation, with a translation for each sentence, are below.

Examples of the Present Tense “Creer” Conjugation

• Yo creo en la amistad. (I believe in friendship.)
• Tú crees en la honestidad. (You believe in honesty.)
• Él/Ella cree en la justicia. (He/She believes in justice.)
• Nosotros creemos en la igualdad. (We believe in equality.)
• Vosotros creéis en la sinceridad de sus intenciones. (You all believe in the sincerity of his/her intentions.)
• Ellos/Ellas creen en el progreso. (They believe in progress.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	creí
you	tú	creíste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	creyó
we	nosotros, nosotras	creímos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	creísteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	creyeron

When we use the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense in Spanish indicates actions completed in the past. It is a common past tense, and remains regular.

When we want to conjugate “creer” in the preterite tense, we just need to remove the infinitive ending and add the appropriate endings for each subject, which you can see in the verb chart above.

Notice that this is irregular in the third person form. I have provided contextual examples below. 

Examples of the Verb “Creer” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo creí en su palabra. (I believed in his/her word.)
• Tú creíste en el destino. (You believed in destiny.)
• Él/Ella creyó en el amor. (He/She believed in love.)
• Nosotros creímos en la idea. (We believed in the idea.)
• Vosotros creísteis en la propuesta desde el principio. (You all believed in the proposal from the beginning.)
• Ellos/Ellas creyeron en la ciencia. (They believed in science.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	creía
you	tú	creías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	creía
we	nosotros, nosotras	creíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	creíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	creían

When we use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, to set the scene or provide background information, and to describe physical or emotional states. 

To conjugate regular -ER verbs and -IR verbs in the imperfect tense, you just need to remove the infinitive ending and add the appropriate endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían) for each subject pronoun.

Top Tip: -ER verbs and -IR verbs follow the same pattern, but -AR verbs do not. Take a look at this “recordar” conjugation guide or this “tomar conjugation guide” to see the differences. 

Examples of the Verb “creer” in the Imperfect Tense

• Yo creía en los cuentos de hadas. (I used to believe in fairy tales.)
• Tú creías en los superhéroes. (You used to believe in superheroes.)
• Él/ella creía en la bondad humana. (He/she believed in human kindness.)
• Nosotros creíamos en la amistad verdadera. (We believed in true friendship.)
• Vosotros creíais en la magia. (You all believed in magic.)
• Ellos/ellas creían en un mundo mejor. (They believed in a better world.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	creeré
you	tú	creerás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	creerá
we	nosotros,nosotras	creeremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	creeréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	creerán

When we use the Future Tense

The future tense in Spanish indicates actions that will happen in the future. For example, “I will believe it when I see it”.

When we want to conjugate “creer” in the future tense, we add the appropriate endings to the infinitive form. 

For this reason, the future tense is one of the most simple Spanish verb tenses to learn.

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Creer” in the Future Tense

• Yo creeré en ti. (I will believe in you.)
• Tú creerás en el cambio. (You will believe in change.)
• Él/Ella creerá en la oportunidad. (He/She will believe in the opportunity.)
• Nosotros creeremos en el progreso. (We will believe in progress.)
• Vosotros creeréis en el poder de la tecnología en el futuro. (You all will believe in the power of technology in the future.)
• Ellos/Ellas creerán en la posibilidad. (They will believe in the possibility.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	creería
you	tú	creerías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	creería
we	nosotros,nosotras	creeríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	creeríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	creerían

When We Use The Conditional Tense

We use the conditional tense in Spanish to express hypothetical situations, desires, or polite requests.

It means “would”. For example, “I would believe in God if I had a reason to”.

In order to conjugate “creer” in the conditional tense, we just need to add the appropriate endings to the infinitive form. 

Easy, right? 

Here are examples of the conjugated forms for ”creer” in the conditional tense, with imperfect subjunctive use too. 

Top Tip: This is a great tense to use when you want to use the imperfect subjunctive, which will help you to score big marks in your Spanish exams! You will find the differences between these tenses in this guide to Spanish verb tenses. 

Examples of the Conditional “Creer” Conjugation

• Yo creería en ti si me lo demostraras. (I would believe in you if you showed me.)
• Tú creerías en el cambio si lo vieras con tus propios ojos. (You would believe in change if you saw it with your own eyes.)
• Él/Ella creería en la igualdad si viviera en un mundo más justo. (He/She would believe in equality if they lived in a fairer world.)
• Nosotros creeríamos en la posibilidad si tuviéramos más información. (We would believe in the possibility if we had more information.)
• Vosotros creeríais en la igualdad si os dieran la oportunidad. (You all would believe in equality if you were given the chance.)
• Ellos/Ellas creerían en el progreso si experimentaran sus beneficios. (They would believe in progress if they experienced its benefits.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	creído
you	tú	has	creído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	creído
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	creído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	creído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	creído

When we use the Perfect Tense

The perfect tense in Spanish, also known as the present perfect tense, is formed with the auxiliary verb “haber” and the past participle of the main verb. 

We use this tense to describe actions that have been completed at some indefinite point in the past or actions that started in the past and continue into the present.

An example is “I have believed her lies too many times”. “I have” is the conjugated form of “haber” and “believed” is our past participle – “creído”.

Top Tip: If you want to get used to using the auxiliary verb “haber” with the past participle -ido, then check out the following conjugation guides: Decidir, Vivir, Seguir, Oír, Poder, Parecer, Querer, and Deber.  

Examples of the Perfect Tense “Creer” Conjugation

• Yo he creído en su palabra. (I have believed in his/her word.)
• Tú has creído en el destino. (You have believed in destiny.)
• Él/Ella ha creído en el amor. (He/She has believed in love.)
• Nosotros hemos creído en la justicia. (We have believed in justice.)
• Vosotros habéis creído en sus promesas hasta ahora. (You all have believed in their promises up until now.)
• Ellos/Ellas han creído en la ciencia. (They have believed in science.)

Pluperfect Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	creído
you	tú	habías	creído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	creído
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	creído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	creído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	creído

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that had occurred before another past action or event.

For example, “I had believed initially that she was to blame, but I later realized it was his fault entirely”.

When we want to form the pluperfect tense of “creer,” we use the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” and the past participle “creído.”

Examples of the Pluperfect “Creer” Conjugation

• Yo había creído en su honestidad antes de enterarme de la verdad. (I had believed in his/her honesty before finding out the truth.)
• Tú habías creído en el amor hasta que te rompieron el corazón. (You had believed in love until your heart was broken.)
• Él/Ella había creído en la causa antes de darse cuenta de sus contradicciones. (He/She had believed in the cause before realizing its contradictions.)
• Nosotros habíamos creído en la estabilidad política antes del golpe de estado. (We had believed in political stability before the coup.)
• Vosotros habíais creído en la amistad antes de la traición. (You all had believed in friendship before the betrayal.)
• Ellos/Ellas habían creído en el progreso hasta que la crisis económica lo detuvo. (They had believed in progress until the economic crisis halted it.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	creído
you	tú	habrás	creído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	creído
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	creído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	creído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	creído

When We Use The Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.

Again, this is a great way to practice using the verb “haber” and the past participle “creído”.

Examples of “Creer” in the Future Perfect 

• Yo habré creído en ti cuando demuestres tu valía. (I will have believed in you when you prove your worth.)
• Tú habrás creído en la solución después de analizar todas las opciones. (You will have believed in the solution after analyzing all the options.)
• Él/Ella habrá creído en la amistad hasta que le traicionen. (He/She will have believed in friendship until they betray him/her.)
• Nosotros habremos creído en el cambio una vez que veamos resultados positivos. (We will have believed in change once we see positive results.)
• Vosotros habréis creído en el cambio cuando veáis sus efectos positivos. (You all will have believed in change when you see its positive effects.)
• Ellos/Ellas habrán creído en la paz antes de que estalle el conflicto. (They will have believed in peace before the conflict erupts.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	creído
you	tú	habrías	creído
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	creído
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	creído
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	creído
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	creído

When We Use The Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that would have happened in the past under certain conditions. 

An example of a “creer” in the conditional perfect tense is “I would have believed him, had he not been a compulsive liar!”

So, in order to form the conditional perfect tense of “creer,” remember to use the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” and the past participle of “creer”, which we now know is “creído.”

Examples of the Conditional Perfect “Creer” Conjugation

• Yo habría creído en él si me lo hubiera pedido. (I would have believed in him if he had asked me.)
• Tú habrías creído en la oportunidad si hubieras conocido todos los detalles. (You would have believed in the opportunity if you had known all the details.)
• Él/Ella habría creído en el proyecto si le hubieran dado más tiempo para estudiarlo. (He/She would have believed in the project if they had given him/her more time to study it.)
• Nosotros habríamos creído en su compromiso si hubiera cumplido sus promesas. (We would have believed in his commitment if he had kept his promises.)
• Vosotros habríais creído en la oportunidad si hubiera sido más clara. (You all would have believed in the opportunity if it had been clearer.)
• Ellos/Ellas habrían creído en la causa si hubieran visto resultados positivos. (They would have believed in the cause if they had seen positive results.)

Subjunctive Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	crea
you	tú	creas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	crea
we	nosotros,nosotras	creamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	creáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	crean

When we use the Subjunctive Tense

The subjunctive tense in Spanish expresses desires, doubts, wishes, or uncertainty. 

When we want to conjugate “creer” in the subjunctive tense, use the appropriate present subjunctive endings.

We will not dive into the subjunctive in this grammar guide, as it can be a little complex! 

The “creer” conjugation chart above shows you the relevant conjuagtions. 

Examples of the Verb “Creer” in the Subjunctive Tense

• Yo creo que tú creas en mí. (I believe that you believe in me.)
• Tú crees que él/ella crea en nosotros. (You believe that he/she believes in us.)
• Él/Ella cree que nosotros creamos en su proyecto. (He/She believes that we believe in his/her project.)
• Nosotros creemos que ellos/ellas crean en la igualdad. (We believe that they believe in equality.)
• Es importante que vosotros creáis en vosotros mismos. (It’s important that you all believe in yourselves.)
• Ellos/Ellas creen que yo crea en sus ideales. (They believe that I believe in their ideals.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	creyera, creyese
you	tú	creyeras, creyeses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	creyera, creyese
we	nosotros,nosotras	creyéramos, creyésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	creyerais, creyeseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	creyeran, creyesen

When We Use The Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive tense in Spanish is used to express wishes, desires, doubts, or hypothetical situations in the past.

It is common to see “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive form, followed by the past participle of “creer”. 

Some of the examples below demonstrate this.

Examples of the Imperfect Subjunctive “Creer” Conjugation

• Si no hubiera creído en sus palabras, no tendría una conexión así con Dios. (If I hadn’t believed his words, I wouldn’t have a connection like this with God.)
• Si hubieras creído en el destino, ahora tendrías una vida mejor. (If you had believed in destiny, you’d have a better life by now.)
• Si él creyera en el amor verdadero, no sería una persona tan triste. (If he believed in true love, he wouldn’t be such a sad person.)
• Ojala hubiéramos creído en la igualdad. (I wish we had believed in equality.)
• Si vosotros creyerais en la justicia, no iría a la cárcel. (If you believed in justice, he wouldn’t be going to prison.)
• Si ellas creyeran en la ciencia, sería más fácil tomarlas en serio. (If they believed in science, it would be easier to take them seriously)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡cree!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡crea!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡creamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡creed!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡crean!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative tense in Spanish is used to give commands or instructions in a positive, affirmative manner.

Examples of The Affirmative Imperative “Creer” Conjugations

• Cree en ti mismo. (Believe in yourself.)
• Crea en el poder del trabajo duro. (Believe in the power of hard work.)
• Creamos en nuestras habilidades. (Let’s believe in our abilities.)
• Creed en la fuerza de la unidad. (Believe in the strength of unity.)
• Crean en la importancia del respeto. (Believe in the importance of respect.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no creas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no crea!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no creamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no creáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no crean!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative tense in Spanish is used to give commands or instructions in a negative manner, indicating what not to do.

Examples of The Negative Imperative “Creer” Conjugation

• No creas en las mentiras. (Don’t believe in lies.)
• No crea en las promesas vacías. (Don’t believe in empty promises.)
• No creamos en los prejuicios. (Let’s not believe in prejudices.)
• No creáis en los rumores. (Don’t believe in rumors.)
• No crean en la desesperanza. (Don’t believe in hopelessness.)

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