Crer (To Believe) — Full Conjugation

Crer means to believe — to accept something as true, to have faith in something or someone. It is a short, high-frequency verb and, like its siblings ler (to read) and ver (to see), it is irregular: in the stressed present-tense forms, the stem vowel e is replaced by the diphthong ei (creio, creem), and the tu and ele forms take a circumflex (crês, crê). The 1990 Spelling Agreement (Acordo Ortográfico) removed the circumflex from the old crêem form — it is now spelled creem (two syllables, still pronounced the same way).

This page lays out every conjugated form. Pay close attention to the three places where diacritics matter: the circumflex on crês and crê, and the no-longer-written circumflex on creem.

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Present indicative — presente do indicativo

The irregularity concentrates here. Creio (1sg) takes the diphthong ei; crês and crê keep a single e but require a circumflex; creem is the post-Acordo spelling (formerly crêem).

The circumflex on crês and crê is not decorative — it marks these as single, stressed syllables with a closed ê sound, and without it the forms would be ambiguous (for instance cres would look like a plural noun).

Imperfect indicative — pretérito imperfeito

The imperfect is built on the stem cr- plus the irregular endings -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -íeis, -iam. In the 1pl and 2pl forms, the í must carry the acute accent to mark the hiatus.

Note: cria, crias, cria, criam are spelled identically to forms of the verb criar (to create, to raise) in the present indicative. Context disambiguates completely — it is almost never ambiguous in practice.

Preterite indicative — pretérito perfeito simples

Note: the 1sg cri and 1pl cremos are short — and the 1pl cremos is identical to the present indicative. Context is your friend.

Pluperfect indicative, simple — pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples

Pluperfect indicative, compound — pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto

Present perfect — pretérito perfeito composto

Simple future — futuro do indicativo simples

Future perfect — futuro perfeito

Conditional — condicional (futuro do pretérito)

Conditional perfect — condicional composto

Present subjunctive — presente do conjuntivo

The present subjunctive is built on the stem crei- (from creio) plus the subjunctive endings. Every form keeps the ei.

Imperfect subjunctive — imperfeito do conjuntivo

Future subjunctive — futuro do conjuntivo

Present perfect subjunctive — pretérito perfeito do conjuntivo

Pluperfect subjunctive — pretérito mais-que-perfeito do conjuntivo

Future perfect subjunctive — futuro perfeito do conjuntivo

Imperative — imperativo

The tu affirmative is crê (matching 3sg present, with circumflex). The negative, as always, uses the subjunctive.

Affirmative:

Negative (identical to the present subjunctive with não):

Personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal

Compound personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal composto

Usage notes

Crer takes different prepositions depending on what you believe:

• crer em — to believe in (religious or general belief) — crer em Deus, crer em milagres, crer num ideal, crer em ti
• crer que + indicative — to believe that (expressing certainty or reasonably strong opinion) — Creio que ela tem razão.
• crer que + subjunctive — rare in affirmative sentences; common in negative or interrogative forms — Não creio que seja verdade. (I don't believe it's true.)

In everyday European Portuguese, achar and pensar are far more common than crer for expressing opinions. Crer feels slightly more formal, literary, or reflective:

• Acho que vai chover. — I think it's going to rain. (everyday)
• Creio que vai chover. — I believe / reckon it's going to rain. (slightly elevated, thoughtful)
• Penso que vai chover. — I think / judge that it's going to rain. (deliberate)

Crer is also the go-to verb for religious faith: Ela crê em Deus. Cristãos creem na ressurreição.

Example sentences in context

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Crer is irregular: the 1sg is creio (with diphthong ei); the 2sg crês and 3sg crê carry a circumflex; the 3pl is creem (post-Acordo, no circumflex).
• The old spelling crêem is still found in older books but is no longer current in Portugal.
• The present subjunctive stem is crei-: creia, creias, creia, creiamos, creiais, creiam.
• Crer em for believe in; crer que + indicative for affirmative certainty; não crer que + subjunctive for denial or doubt.
• In everyday Portuguese, achar and pensar are more common than crer for stating opinions. Crer leans slightly formal or religious.
• The imperfect forms cria, crias, cria, criam are spelled like forms of criar (to create/raise) — context makes the difference.