Learn Hardcore French: Je crois qu'ils vont réussir. - I believe that they are going to succeed.

In French, when a verb like croire (to believe / to think) is followed by a full clause (a new subject and verb), you normally introduce that clause with que:

Je crois que... = I think / believe that...
Je crois qu'ils vont réussir. = I think they are going to succeed.

Saying Je crois ils vont réussir without que is incorrect in standard French. Que is required to link the main clause (Je crois) with the subordinate clause (ils vont réussir).

Why is it je crois and not je croit?

Because croire is irregular and must agree with the subject je.

Present tense of croire:

je crois
tu crois
il / elle / on croit
nous croyons
vous croyez
ils / elles croient

So:

Je crois = I believe / I think
Il croit = He believes / He thinks

Using je croit is a grammatical error.

What is the difference between Je crois que and Je pense que?

Both are often translated as "I think that", but there are slight nuances:

Je crois que...
- Literally: I believe that...
- Slightly more about belief, trust, or subjective conviction.
- Can feel a bit more emotional or based on belief/intuition.
Je pense que...
- Literally: I think that...
- More neutral, more intellectual or reasoned opinion.

In everyday speech, they are very close in meaning, and both are perfectly natural in this sentence:

Je crois qu'ils vont réussir.
Je pense qu'ils vont réussir.

Why is it ils vont réussir and not just ils réussiront?

Both are correct, but they use different future forms:

ils vont réussir
- vont = present tense of aller (to go)
- réussir = infinitive
- This is the near future (futur proche), like English "they are going to succeed."
- Feels a bit more immediate, more “about to happen,” or more colloquial.
ils réussiront
- This is the simple future (futur simple): they will succeed.
- Often a bit more formal or neutral, less “immediate.”

In conversation, vont réussir is extremely common and completely natural here.

So what exactly is the tense of vont réussir?

It’s the near future (futur proche):

Structure: aller (present) + infinitive
In this sentence:
- ils vont = they go / they are going
- réussir = to succeed
  → ils vont réussir = they are going to succeed.

It functions as a single future meaning, not as two separate actions.

Why doesn’t this sentence use the subjunctive after je crois que?

The subjunctive in French typically appears after expressions of doubt, uncertainty, emotion, desire, necessity, etc.

Je crois que expresses belief or relative certainty, so it usually takes the indicative, not the subjunctive:
- Je crois qu'ils vont réussir. (indicative vont)

However, in the negative or interrogative, croire can trigger the subjunctive because now you have doubt:

Je ne crois pas qu'ils réussissent.
= I don’t think they will succeed.
Crois-tu qu'ils réussissent ?
= Do you think they will succeed?

So the affirmative Je crois que... normally keeps the indicative.

Is there any difference in meaning between Je crois qu'ils vont réussir and Je crois qu'ils réussiront?

Yes, but it’s subtle:

Je crois qu'ils vont réussir.
- Near future; feels more immediate, often used in speech.
- Can imply the situation is already in motion or very likely soon.
Je crois qu'ils réussiront.
- Simple future; slightly more formal or distant.
- Feels a bit more “neutral future,” not necessarily imminent.

In many real contexts, they can be used interchangeably without a big change in meaning.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence Je crois qu'ils vont réussir?

Approximate pronunciation (international phonetic):

Je → /ʒə/ (like “zhuh”)
crois → /kʁwa/ (like “krwah”)
qu'ils → /kil/ (“keel”; the l is pronounced)
vont → /vɔ̃/ (“von” with a nasal vowel; final t silent)
réussir → /ʁe.y.siʁ/
- réu has two vowel sounds: /e/ then /y/ (like ray‑ew)
- final r /ʁ/ is pronounced in standard French

Liaison / linking:

There is no required liaison between qu'ils and vont; you just say [kil vɔ̃].

Why is it ils and not eux?

Because ils is a subject pronoun and must be used before the verb:

Ils vont réussir. = They are going to succeed.

Eux is a stressed (disjunctive) pronoun and is used in different positions:

For emphasis: Eux, ils vont réussir. = Them, they’re going to succeed.
After prepositions: Je crois en eux. = I believe in them.

So in this sentence, as the subject of vont, you need ils, not eux.

Does réussir change form for ils here? Why is it not réussissent?

In ils vont réussir, réussir is in the infinitive, not conjugated:

ils vont = the only part that is conjugated (present of aller)
réussir = infinitive (to succeed)

You only see forms like ils réussissent when réussir itself is the main verb in the present tense:

Ils réussissent. = They succeed / They are succeeding.
Ils vont réussir. = They are going to succeed. (near future)

Could you say Je crois en eux instead of Je crois qu'ils vont réussir?

You can, but it doesn’t mean the same thing:

Je crois en eux.
- = I believe in them.
- Expresses trust or confidence in them as people, in a general sense.
Je crois qu'ils vont réussir.
- = I think / believe that they are going to succeed.
- Refers specifically to the outcome of some action (an exam, a project, etc.).

They’re related ideas, but the first is about your faith in them, the second is about a specific result.

Could I drop Je and just say Crois qu'ils vont réussir?

No, not in normal French. Subject pronouns (like je, tu, il, nous, ils) are almost always required.

Je crois qu'ils vont réussir. ✅
Crois qu'ils vont réussir. ❌ (incorrect as a statement)

You could say Crois-tu qu'ils vont réussir ? as a question (Do you think they’re going to succeed?), but you still keep a subject (tu), just inverted.