Je crois qu'ils vont réussir.

I believe that they are going to succeed.

Breakdown of Je crois qu'ils vont réussir.

• je: I
• aller: to go
• croire: to believe
• réussir: to succeed

Questions & Answers about Je crois qu'ils vont réussir.

Why is it qu'ils and not que ils?

In French, que becomes qu' in front of a word that starts with a vowel sound.
This is called elision and it makes pronunciation smoother.

• que + ils → qu'ils
• Pronounced like: [kil]

So you must write qu'ils, not que ils.

Why do we need que at all? Why not just Je crois ils vont réussir?

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?