Kredi is the regular verb “to believe,” but its complement determines what kind of belief is meant. Kredi ion accepts content as true; kredi al iu accepts someone's testimony; kredi je iu aŭ io expresses belief in existence, validity, power, or potential; and kredi, ke... states a whole believed proposition. These frames are related, not interchangeable.
Complete regular paradigm
| Form | Function | Typical translation |
|---|---|---|
| kredi | infinitive | to believe |
| kredas | present indicative | believe(s) |
| kredis | past indicative | believed |
| kredos | future indicative | will believe |
| kredus | conditional | would believe |
| kredu | volitive | believe!, let ... believe |
The stem kred- remains unchanged, and the form does not agree with person or number: mi kredas, ŝi kredas, ili kredas. Kredus presents hypothetical acceptance; kredu urges the listener to accept something as true.
Mi kredas lian klarigon, ĉar ĉiuj detaloj kongruas kun la registroj.
I believe his explanation because all the details match the records.
Ĉu vi kredus anoniman mesaĝon sen ajna pruvo?
Would you believe an anonymous message without any evidence?
Kredu min: ni jam provis tiun solvon dufoje.
Believe me: we've already tried that solution twice.
The last sentence uses min in a conventional imperative appeal. In fuller neutral syntax, belief in someone's assertion is regularly expressed with al: Mi kredas al vi. This difference deserves explicit attention rather than a rule that hides established kredu min.
Believing content: kredi ion
A noun phrase or pronoun can directly express the content accepted as true. It takes accusative -n.
Mi ne kredas tiun onidiron; neniu fidinda fonto konfirmis ĝin.
I don't believe that rumor; no reliable source has confirmed it.
Ŝi rakontis nekutiman historion, sed mi kredas ĉiun vorton.
She told an unusual story, but I believe every word.
La mekanikisto diras, ke la riparo estos simpla, kaj mi volas kredi tion.
The mechanic says the repair will be simple, and I want to believe that.
Here tion refers to the whole preceding proposition. The object is information, claim, story, explanation, or other truth-evaluable content—not normally the person who speaks it.
Believing a speaker: kredi al iu
When the focus is the truthfulness of a speaker's words, PMEG gives kredi al iu: believe what someone says.
Mi kredas al ŝi, ĉar ŝi tuj konfesis ankaŭ sian propran eraron.
I believe her because she immediately admitted her own mistake too.
La policano ne kredis al la atestanto ĝis aperis la kameraa registrado.
The police officer did not believe the witness until the camera recording appeared.
The person is an al-complement, while any explicit proposition can follow as a clause:
Mi kredas al vi, ke la pakaĵo alvenis difektita.
I believe you that the package arrived damaged.
English uses the same direct-object shape in “believe the claim” and “believe her.” Esperanto can keep the roles especially transparent with kredi la aserton but kredi al ŝi. Direct kredi iun is also established, not only in the fixed appeal kredu min; al is the clearest pedagogical choice when the person is specifically the source of testimony.
Belief in existence, value, or potential: kredi je
Kredi je presents its complement as the object of faith or confidence. In its clearest sense, it means believing that someone or something truly exists. Modern usage also extends it to confidence in a person, cause, method, or possibility.
Ŝi kredas je Dio, sed ne apartenas al iu religia organizaĵo.
She believes in God but does not belong to any religious organization.
La trejnisto ankoraŭ kredas je la juna teamo malgraŭ tri malvenkoj.
The coach still believes in the young team despite three defeats.
Mi kredas je la valoro de publike alirebla scienco.
I believe in the value of publicly accessible science.
In the team example, the team's existence is not in question; je marks confidence in its ability or prospects. This extension is well attested. English “believe in” should therefore normally lead to kredi je, not mechanically to en.
Compare the three frames:
| Frame | Question answered | Example meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kredi ion | What content is accepted? | believe the report |
| kredi al iu | Whose testimony is accepted? | believe the witness |
| kredi je iu/io | What is the object of faith/confidence? | believe in the project |
A complete proposition: kredi, ke...
A ke-clause states exactly what the believer holds to be true.
Mi kredas, ke la datumoj estas ĝustaj, sed mi rekontrolos la kalkulon.
I believe the data are correct, but I'll recheck the calculation.
Ili kredis, ke la vendejo estos malfermita dimanĉe.
They believed the store would be open on Sunday.
Esperanto does not automatically backshift the embedded tense after kredis. The -os in estos presents opening as later than the past belief. Choose estas, estis, or estos according to the time asserted within the belief.
— Ĉu vi kredas, ke li venos? — Jes, sed verŝajne iom malfrue.
— Do you think he'll come? — Yes, but probably a little late.
In everyday English, “I think” and “I believe” often overlap. Esperanto likewise allows mi pensas, ke... and mi kredas, ke..., but kredi foregrounds acceptance as true, whereas pensi can foreground reasoning or opinion.
Kredi, scii, fidi, and opinii
- kredi — accept as true without presenting certainty as knowledge;
- scii — know a fact or know how, presented as established;
- fidi — trust or rely on a person, system, or reliability;
- opinii — hold an evaluative opinion.
Mi kredas, ke la ŝlosilo estas en la oficejo, sed mi ne scias tion certe.
I believe the key is in the office, but I don't know that for certain.
Mi fidas ŝin pri la financoj, sed mi ne kredas ĉiun prognozon, kiun ŝi faras.
I trust her with the finances, but I don't believe every forecast she makes.
Believing someone's words and trusting that person more generally are related but not identical.
Productive family members
- ekkredi — come to believe, begin believing;
- malkredi — disbelieve, reject as untrue;
- kredigi — cause someone to believe;
- kredebla — believable, plausible;
- kredinda — worthy of belief, credible;
- kredema / nekredema — inclined to believe / disinclined or skeptical.
Nur post kiam mi vidis la originalan dokumenton, mi ekkredis la rakonton.
Only after I saw the original document did I begin to believe the story.
La falsa retejo kredigis al multaj homoj, ke ili ricevos senpagan bileton.
The fake website made many people believe that they would receive a free ticket.
Kredebla describes content that can be believed or seems plausible; kredinda evaluates it as deserving belief. The distinction is useful, though everyday usage can blur possibility and deserved credibility.
Participles and register
| Time relation | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| ongoing | kredanta — believing | kredata — being believed |
| earlier/completed | kredinta — having believed | kredita — believed |
| later/intended | kredonta — about to believe | kredota — to be believed |
La teorio estis vaste kredata antaŭ ol aperis pli precizaj mezuroj.
The theory was widely believed before more precise measurements appeared.
Kredi is frequent and neutral across registers. Kredi je is common in religious, philosophical, political, and motivational contexts without being inherently (formal). Foundational norm: kred-, kredebla, and the core grammatical markers are Fundamental. Accepted variation: direct kredi iun, including kredu min, coexists with the transparent testimony frame kredi al iu, and kredi je extends from existence to confidence. Pedagogical recommendation: keep content, source, and object of faith distinct. Tekstaro strongly attests all these patterns.
See Je for other conventional relations expressed by this semantically flexible preposition.
Common Mistakes
Copying English “believe in” with en
❌ Mi kredas en la kapablo de nia teamo.
Incorrect in the standard belief frame — en normally marks location or entry.
✅ Mi kredas je la kapablo de nia teamo.
I believe in our team's ability.
Using je for a speaker's specific testimony
❌ Mi kredas je li, kiam li diras, ke la pago jam estas farita.
Wrong for the intended testimony reading — je suggests broader faith or confidence in him.
✅ Mi kredas al li, kiam li diras, ke la pago jam estas farita.
I believe him when he says that the payment has already been made.
Omitting ke before a complete proposition
❌ Mi kredas la raporto estos preta morgaŭ.
Incorrect — a complete finite proposition requires ke.
✅ Mi kredas, ke la raporto estos preta morgaŭ.
I believe the report will be ready tomorrow.
Confusing belief with knowledge
❌ Mi kredas lian telefonnumeron.
Incorrect for knowing a piece of information; a telephone number is not normally a claim one believes.
✅ Mi scias lian telefonnumeron.
I know his telephone number.
Key Takeaways
- Kredi is regular, but its complement distinguishes content, testimony, faith, and a full proposition.
- Use kredi ion, kredi al iu, kredi je iu/io, and kredi, ke... for those four roles.
- Kredi expresses belief; scii knowledge and fidi broader trust or reliance.
- Ekkredi, malkredi, kredigi, kredebla, and kredinda form a productive family.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- JeB1 — Use je for conventional clock-time, measure, body-part, and abstract relations when no more specific preposition expresses the intended role.
- AlA2 — Use al for movement toward a goal, recipients, orientation, and abstract targets without adding an unnecessary accusative ending.
- Ke-ClausesA2 — How finite clauses introduced by ke function as statements, subjects, objects, complements, and content descriptions.
- Epistemic ModalityB2 — Express certainty, probability, inference, possibility, and impossibility without confusing evidence judgments with obligation or mood.
- Pensi: To ThinkB2 — Use pensi pri for a topic and pensi, ke for a proposition, and distinguish thinking from opinion, consideration, and invention.
- Scii: To Know FactsA2 — Use scii for facts, answers, embedded questions, and know-how, and distinguish informational knowledge from acquaintance with koni.