The preterite of creer is used to express when someone believed something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I believed his story” – “Creí su historia.”
This verb follows the e to y stem-changing pattern in the preterite, but only in the third person forms. The ‘e’ changes to ‘y’ in creyó and creyeron, while other forms maintain the ‘e’.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Creer (to believe) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | creí |
| Tú | creíste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | creyó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | creímos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | creísteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | creyeron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Creer (to believe) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Creer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of creer expresses completed acts of believing or trusting.
To believe (definitive action): Used for a specific instance of believing something, for example No le creí cuando me lo dijo (I didn’t believe him when he told me).
To trust/have faith: Indicates placing trust in someone or something at a specific moment, for example Creyeron en el proyecto (They believed in the project).
Examples
Examples of Creer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
No creí la historia que me contaste. (I didn’t believe the story you told me.)
¿Creíste en sus promesas? (Did you believe in their promises?)
Nadie creyó en sus palabras. (Nobody believed his/her words.)
Creímos que llegarían temprano. (We believed they would arrive early.)
Los niños creyeron en Santa Claus. (The children believed in Santa Claus.)
Creí ver un fantasma anoche. (I thought I saw a ghost last night.)
¿Por qué creíste esa mentira? (Why did you believe that lie?)
Ella creyó en sí misma. (She believed in herself.)
Creímos en el proyecto desde el principio. (We believed in the project from the beginning.)
Todos creyeron en sus capacidades. (Everyone believed in their abilities.)
No creí que fuera posible. (I didn’t believe it was possible.)
Creíste en el amor a primera vista. (You believed in love at first sight.)
El equipo creyó en la victoria. (The team believed in victory.)
Creímos escuchar un ruido extraño. (We thought we heard a strange noise.)
Los expertos creyeron en sus teorías. (The experts believed in their theories.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Creer (to believe) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo creí | I believed |
| Tú creíste | You believed |
| Él / Ella / Usted creyó | He / She / You (formal) believed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras creímos | We believed |
| Vosotros / Vosotras creísteis | You all believed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes creyeron | They / You all (formal) believed |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.