Croire is the French verb meaning to believe. It is irregular, so learning its patterns is key. Croire allows you to express belief in people, ideas, or information, as well as to trust or have faith in something.
Meaning and Usage
Croire means “to believe” or “to think.” It can be used in different contexts:
- Croire quelqu’un — to believe someone
- Croire en Dieu — to believe in God
- Je crois que… — I believe that… / I think that…
- Croire quelque chose vrai — to believe something is true
Use croire to talk about what you accept as true, to have faith, or even to suppose something.
Conjugations (Indicative)
Here are the full indicative conjugations for croire:
Present Tense (présent)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je crois | I believe |
| Tu crois | You believe |
| Il/elle croit | He/she believes |
| Nous croyons | We believe |
| Vous croyez | You believe |
| Ils/elles croient | They believe |
Imperfect (imparfait)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je croyais | I believed / was believing |
| Tu croyais | You believed / were believing |
| Il/elle croyait | He/she believed / was believing |
| Nous croyions | We believed / were believing |
| Vous croyiez | You believed / were believing |
| Ils/elles croyaient | They believed / were believing |
Future (futur simple)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je croirai | I will believe |
| Tu croiras | You will believe |
| Il/elle croira | He/she will believe |
| Nous croirons | We will believe |
| Vous croirez | You will believe |
| Ils/elles croiront | They will believe |
Past Historic (passé simple)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je crus | I believed |
| Tu crus | You believed |
| Il/elle crut | He/she believed |
| Nous crûmes | We believed |
| Vous crûtes | You believed |
| Ils/elles crurent | They believed |
Fill in the blank: Elles ___ jusqu’au bout.
crurent
Crurent is the passé simple for 'they believed.'
Present Perfect (passé composé)
Croire uses avoir as the auxiliary, with past participle cru:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J’ai cru | I have believed / I believed |
| Tu as cru | You have believed / You believed |
| Il/elle a cru | He/she has believed / believed |
| Nous avons cru | We have believed / believed |
| Vous avez cru | You have believed / believed |
| Ils/elles ont cru | They have believed / believed |
Conjugations (Subjunctive and Conditional)
Present Subjunctive (subjonctif présent)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Que je croie | That I believe |
| Que tu croies | That you believe |
| Qu’il/elle croie | That he/she believes |
| Que nous croyions | That we believe |
| Que vous croyiez | That you believe |
| Qu’ils/elles croient | That they believe |
Past Subjunctive (subjonctif passé)
Formed with subjonctif présent of avoir + cru:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Que j’aie cru | That I believed |
| Que tu aies cru | That you believed |
| Qu’il/elle ait cru | That he/she believed |
| Que nous ayons cru | That we believed |
| Que vous ayez cru | That you believed |
| Qu’ils/elles aient cru | That they believed |
Que vous ayez ___ ce conte ancien crée un mystère.
cru
Que vous ayez cru is the past subjunctive form for 'you believed.'
Conditional Present (conditionnel présent)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je croirais | I would believe |
| Tu croirais | You would believe |
| Il/elle croirait | He/she would believe |
| Nous croirions | We would believe |
| Vous croiriez | You would believe |
| Ils/elles croiraient | They would believe |
Past Conditional (conditionnel passé)
Formed with conditional of avoir + cru:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J’aurais cru | I would have believed |
| Tu aurais cru | You would have believed |
| Il/elle aurait cru | He/she would have believed |
| Nous aurions cru | We would have believed |
| Vous auriez cru | You would have believed |
| Ils/elles auraient cru | They would have believed |
J’___ ___ à cette histoire si j’avais eu plus de temps.
aurais cru
Past conditional is formed with 'aurais cru.'
Perfect Infinitive
The perfect infinitive is formed with avoir in the infinitive + cru:
- après avoir cru — after having believed
- avant d’avoir cru — before having believed
What does après avoir cru mean?
after having believed
Avec 'après' + infinitif parfait, cela signifie 'after having ...'.
Uses in Sentences
- Je crois ce que tu dis.
I believe what you say.
- Elle croit en ses rêves.
She believes in her dreams.
- Nous croyons que tout est possible.
We believe that everything is possible.
- Tu ne crois pas au hasard ?
You don’t believe in coincidence?
Summary
- Croire means “to believe” or “to think.”
- It is used with que + clause, or direct objects (people, ideas).
- The verb is irregular; key stems are croi- (most tenses) and cr- (imperfect, future, conditional).
- Past participle is cru (with auxiliary avoir).
- Common constructions: croire que…, croire en…, croire quelqu’un…
- Useful in expressing belief, doubt, faith, and opinion in French.
Flashcards (1 of 54)
- English: I believe
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
