creer
to believe
To believe something is true
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
credible
believable
+
-er
verb suffix
Creer means to believe and sounds like the English word credible0 (believable0) turned into a verb1.
creer
to believe
To accept that something is true or that someone is telling the truth — to find it credible.
- No te creo — eso no puede ser verdad = I don't believe you — that can't be true
to think, to suppose (from belief, not reasoning)
To express a belief or conviction — not logical deduction like "pensar," but a personal sense of what you hold to be true.
- Creo que va a llover esta tarde = I think it's going to rain this afternoon
- No creo que sea tan difícil = I don't suppose it's that difficult
creer en
to believe in
To believe in the existence or value of something — to find it fully credible.
- Ella cree en Dios = She believes in God
- Hay que creer en uno mismo = You have to believe in yourself
creerse
to believe, to swallow
To believe something for yourself — often used when someone credulously accepts something questionable.
- Se cree todo lo que le dicen = He believes everything they tell him
- ¿De verdad te crees eso? = Do you really swallow that?
to think oneself (arrogant)
To believe oneself to be something — often carries a conceited tone, like someone who finds themselves overly credible.
- ¿Quién te crees que eres? = Who do you think you are?