creer preterite conjugation
Creer (to believe/think) in the preterite: creí, creíste, creyó, creímos, creísteis, creyeron.
Pretérito indefinido Preterite
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | regular: creiste |
| él/ella/usted | regular: creió |
| nosotros | regular: creimos |
| vosotros | regular: creisteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | regular: creieron |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the preterite
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Creer is irregular here. 5 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give creiste, creió, creimos, creisteis, creieron.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Creer in a sentence
- Creo que tienes razón.I think you're right.
- No creyeron la historia.They didn't believe the story.
Spelling change i→y in third person preterite/gerund: 'creyó', 'creyendo'.
FAQ
What is the preterite of creer?
Creer in the Spanish preterite: yo creí, tú creíste, él/ella/usted creyó, nosotros creímos, vosotros creísteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes creyeron.
Is creer irregular in the preterite?
Yes. 5 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: tú creíste (regular would be creiste); él/ella/usted creyó (regular would be creió); nosotros creímos (regular would be creimos); vosotros creísteis (regular would be creisteis); ellos/ellas/ustedes creyeron (regular would be creieron).
When do you use the Spanish preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How is the preterite formed?
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
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