Focus on French Verbs: croire

The French verb croire most often means "to believe" or "to think." You can use it when you believe someone, accept something as true, express what you think is happening, or talk about belief or confidence.

The construction around croire matters. Croire quelqu'un, croire que, croire à, and croire en express different kinds of belief.

Conjugation

Croire is an irregular -re verb. Its present-tense forms include je crois, nous croyons, and ils croient. Its past participle is cru.

See croire for all tenses and forms.

Common patterns and prepositions

Prepositions matter with croire: à and en express different kinds of belief from the direct-object and que patterns.

Croire quelqu'un: believing someone

Use croire + person when you believe what someone is telling you:

The person is the direct object of croire. No preposition is required.

croire quelqu'un

This means that you accept what the person says as true.

Croire quelque chose

Croire can also take a thing, statement, or story as its direct object:

croire + direct object

In both croire quelqu'un and croire quelque chose, you are accepting what someone says or what something claims as true.

Croire que + clause

One of the most common constructions with croire is:

croire que + clause

The opinion or belief continues in a clause after que:

In everyday French, je crois que frequently corresponds to English "I think that" rather than the more emphatic "I believe that." It allows the speaker to present something as a belief, opinion, or assumption rather than as a certainty.

Croire que and the subjunctive

An affirmative statement with croire que normally uses the indicative:

When croire is negative or interrogative, the subjunctive can appear if the idea is presented as doubtful, uncertain, or not accepted as fact:

The useful distinction is not simply that negative croire always requires the subjunctive. The mood depends on how the speaker presents the proposition:

• croire que + indicative
• ne pas croire que + often subjunctive

Je crois que oui and je crois que non

Two very useful conversational expressions are:

These allow you to answer a question while leaving some room for uncertainty:

Tu crois ?

Tu crois ? is a common conversational question:

Depending on the situation and tone, the question can express genuine uncertainty, surprise, or skepticism.

Croire + infinitive

Croire + infinitive can express what the subject believes about their own action, state, or situation:

The subject of croire is also understood as the subject of the infinitive. Compare croire que + subject + verb with croire + infinitive — the infinitive construction provides a more compact way to express the idea when the subject remains the same.

Croire à + noun

Use croire à when talking about belief in the existence, reality, or possibility of something:

The preposition combines with articles normally (à + le → au, à + les → aux), so you will encounter forms such as croire au hasard and croire aux fantômes.

Croire en + noun

Croire en commonly expresses faith, trust, or confidence:

The distinction becomes particularly clear with a person:

In the first sentence, you accept what the person says. In the second, you have confidence or faith in the person.

Croire à vs croire en

English can use "believe in" for both croire à and croire en, so the distinction can be easy to miss.

Croire à often concerns whether something exists, is real, is possible, or is something you accept as true:

Croire en commonly expresses faith or confidence:

The distinction is not completely mechanical. Established usage and the meaning being expressed matter, so common combinations are worth learning as complete patterns.

Ne pas croire

Negating croire can mean that you do not accept something as true:

The negative construction is also common in expressions of surprise.

Ne pas en croire ses yeux

Ne pas en croire ses yeux means not to believe one's eyes:

These expressions are best learned as complete units.

Ne pas en croire un mot

Ne pas en croire un mot means not to believe a word of it:

It expresses strong disbelief in what someone has said or in a story or explanation.

Croire sur parole

Croire quelqu'un sur parole means to take someone at their word:

The expression indicates that you accept what someone says without requiring additional proof. Here, sur parole belongs to the complete expression rather than creating a general new meaning for croire + sur.

À croire que...

The expression à croire que… can mean "you would think that," "it's as if," or "one might think that," depending on context:

The speaker uses an observation or situation as the basis for a conclusion, often with an element of surprise. This is an established expression and is best learned as a whole.

Common expressions with croire

Several useful expressions and constructions use croire:

• croire quelqu'un — to believe someone
• croire quelque chose — to believe something
• croire que… — to think or believe that…
• croire à quelque chose — to believe in the existence, reality, or possibility of something
• croire en quelqu'un / quelque chose — to have faith or confidence in someone or something
• croire + infinitive — to think or believe oneself to…
• je crois que oui — I think so
• je crois que non — I don't think so
• tu crois ? — you think so?
• ne pas en croire ses yeux — not to believe one's eyes
• ne pas en croire un mot — not to believe a word of it
• croire quelqu'un sur parole — to take someone at their word
• à croire que… — you'd think that… / it's as if…

Common mistakes with croire

Don't add a preposition when you believe what someone says

The person is the direct object in the first sentence. Adding en in the second changes the meaning from accepting someone's statement to having faith or confidence in that person.

Don't automatically translate croire as "believe"

The correct English translation depends on how croire is being used.

Distinguish croire à from croire en

Both can correspond to English "believe in," but they do not always express the same kind of belief:

Learning the entire construction is more reliable than translating the preposition independently.

Watch the mood after croire que

An affirmative statement normally uses the indicative. When the belief is negated or questioned, the subjunctive can appear if the proposition is presented as uncertain or doubtful. The presence of que by itself does not determine the mood.

Croire vs penser

Both croire and penser can introduce opinions, but they are not interchangeable in every context.

Croire often presents something as a belief or assumption:

Penser is a general verb for thinking or holding an opinion:

Croire is particularly associated with accepting something as true or expressing what you take to be the case. Penser covers a wider range of mental activity.

Related verbs

The most important patterns are croire quelqu'un, croire que, croire à, and croire en. English "believe in" does not map cleanly onto a single French preposition.

From learning to practice

Je crois que oui and Tu crois ? turn up constantly in conversation — often softer than a flat assertion. When someone tells you something unbelievable, Je n'en crois pas mes yeux is the natural reaction, not a literal translation exercise. The pair to keep separate is Je te crois (I accept what you say) and Je crois en toi (I have confidence in you); mixing them up changes the meaning entirely.