The Imperfect Tense of creer is used to describe ongoing or repeated beliefs in the past, for example, Yo creía que el mundo era plano. (I used to believe that the world was flat.)

Creer is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Creer (to believe) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of creer is used to describe ongoing, repeated or habitual actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

Believing or thinking something was true: Por ejemplo, yo creía que mi hermano era honesto (I thought my brother was honest). This usage expresses a past belief or thought.

Habitual or repeated actions in the past: Por ejemplo, de niño, creía en Santa Claus (as a child, I used to believe in Santa Claus). This conveys a repeated action or habit in the past.

Descriptions or states of being in the past: Por ejemplo, creía que era una buena idea (I thought it was a good idea). This describes a past state of mind or opinion.

Colloquial/Slang usage: Por ejemplo, ¿Creías que me iba a tragar ese cuento? (Did you really think I’d buy that story?). This idiomatic usage expresses disbelief or skepticism.

Examples

Examples of Creer in the Imperfect Tense

Yo creía que el restaurante estaba abierto hasta tarde. (I thought the restaurant was open late.)

Ellos creían que la película era aburrida. (They thought the movie was boring.)

Nosotros creíamos que el equipo iba a ganar el partido. (We thought the team was going to win the game.)

Tú creías que el libro era interesante, ¿verdad? (You thought the book was interesting, right?)

Ella creía que su amigo estaba mintiendo. (She thought her friend was lying.)

Yo creía que el concierto era gratis, pero tuve que pagar la entrada. (I thought the concert was free, but I had to pay for the ticket.)

Ellos creían que el viaje sería divertido, pero al final fue agotador. (They thought the trip would be fun, but in the end it was exhausting.)

Nosotros creíamos que la fiesta empezaba a las 8, pero llegamos tarde. (We thought the party started at 8, but we arrived late.)

Tú creías que el examen sería fácil, ¿no? (You thought the exam would be easy, didn’t you?)

Ella creía que su jefe era injusto con ella. (She thought her boss was unfair to her.)

Yo creía que el clima estaría soleado, pero llovió todo el día. (I thought the weather would be sunny, but it rained all day.)

Ellos creían que la comida era deliciosa, pero a mí no me gustó. (They thought the food was delicious, but I didn’t like it.)

Nosotros creíamos que el camino era seguro, pero nos perdimos. (We thought the path was safe, but we got lost.)

Tú creías que el trabajo sería fácil, pero resultó ser muy difícil. (You thought the job would be easy, but it turned out to be very difficult.)

Ella creía que su novio la amaba, pero la engañó. (She thought her boyfriend loved her, but he cheated on her.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Creer (to believe) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.