Je crois que c'est une invitation VIP.

From Lesson 322:Whoever (qui que)·French

Questions & Answers about Je crois que c'est une invitation VIP.

Why does crois que take the indicative (c'est) here instead of the subjunctive?
In French, verbs of thinking and believing like croire and penser only take the subjunctive when they are negative or in inverted questions (which express doubt). Because je crois que is an affirmative statement here, it takes the indicative. If it were negative, it would be je ne crois pas que ce soit.
Why do we use c'est here instead of elle est to refer to the invitation?
We use c'est because it is followed by a determiner (une) and a noun (invitation). You use il est or elle est when followed by a standalone adjective or an unmodified profession or nationality.
How is the abbreviation VIP pronounced in French?
French speakers typically pronounce it by naming the French letters: vé-i-pé. You might also occasionally hear it pronounced as a single word, sounding like the English word VIP.
Could I drop que and just say Je crois c'est une invitation VIP?
No, in French, the conjunction que is mandatory to connect the two clauses. You can never drop it like we often drop the word "that" in English.

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