Meaning and Usage
The verb croire means to believe and is commonly used in French to express belief, opinion, or faith in something or someone. It can be followed by a direct object, an indirect object introduced by en, or a clause introduced by que to indicate what is believed.
Verb Group and Irregularity
Croire is an irregular verb belonging to the third group, which includes many verbs with unpredictable conjugation patterns. Its irregular conjugations particularly occur in the present, past historic, subjunctive, and imperative forms.
Present Tense Conjugation
The present tense of croire is used to express current belief or opinion. Below is a conjugation table showing French subject pronouns, conjugated forms in French and English, and example sentences illustrating each form.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | crois | I believe | Je crois en toi. | I believe in you. |
| Tu | crois | You believe (sing.) | Tu crois ce qu'il dit. | You believe what he says. |
| Il/Elle/On | croit | He/She/One believes | Elle croit aux miracles. | She believes in miracles. |
| Nous | croyons | We believe | Nous croyons que c'est vrai. | We believe that it is true. |
| Vous | croyez | You believe (pl.) | Vous croyez à ses idées. | You believe in his ideas. |
| Ils/Elles | croient | They believe | Ils croient en l'avenir. | They believe in the future. |
Past Tense Conjugations
In spoken French, the passé composé is commonly used for past beliefs. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir and the past participle cru.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | ai cru | I believed | J'ai cru à son histoire. | I believed his story. |
| Tu | as cru | You believed (sing.) | Tu as cru en moi. | You believed in me. |
| Il/Elle/On | a cru | He/She/One believed | Il a cru que tu viendrais. | He believed that you would come. |
| Nous | avons cru | We believed | Nous avons cru à leurs promesses. | We believed their promises. |
| Vous | avez cru | You believed (pl.) | Vous avez cru en vos capacités. | You believed in your abilities. |
| Ils/Elles | ont cru | They believed | Elles ont cru à la vérité. | They believed in the truth. |
Imperative Mood
The imperative form of croire is used to give commands or make requests about believing.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tu | crois | Believe (you - sing.) | Crois en toi! | Believe in yourself! |
| Nous | croyons | Let's believe | Croyons en nos rêves. | Let's believe in our dreams. |
| Vous | croyez | Believe (you - pl.) | Croyez en vos compétences! | Believe in your skills! |
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, necessity, or emotion related to belief.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Que je | croie | That I believe | Il faut que je croie en moi-même. | It is necessary that I believe in myself. |
| Que tu | croies | That you believe (sing.) | Je doute que tu croies à cette histoire. | I doubt that you believe this story. |
| Qu'il/elle/on | croie | That he/she/one believes | Il est important qu'elle croie aux valeurs. | It is important that she believes in values. |
| Que nous | croyions | That we believe | Il souhaite que nous croyions en lui. | He wishes that we believe in him. |
| Que vous | croyiez | That you believe (pl.) | Il est essentiel que vous croyiez au projet. | It is essential that you believe in the project. |
| Qu'ils/elles | croient | That they believe | Je veux qu'ils croient en l'avenir. | I want them to believe in the future. |
Common Expressions With Croire
- croire en quelqu’un/quelque chose: to believe in someone/something
- ne pas en croire ses yeux/oreilles: to not believe one's eyes/ears
- croire dur comme fer: to believe firmly, to be firmly convinced
- qui croire?: who to believe?
These idiomatic expressions enrich your ability to use croire in natural conversation.
Summary
The verb croire is irregular and essential for expressing belief in French. Its present, past, imperative, and subjunctive forms each have unique conjugations important to master for fluent communication. Familiarity with common expressions enriches vocabulary and usage.
