Ich glaube dir.

I believe you.

Breakdown of Ich glaube dir.

• ich: I
• dir: you
• glauben: to believe

Questions & Answers about Ich glaube dir.

Why is the object dir in the dative case and not the accusative dich?

In German, the verb glauben when referring to “believing someone” takes a dative object. So you say ich glaube dir (I believe you). Using the accusative dich here would be ungrammatical.

Why is the word order Ich glaube dir and not Ich dir glaube?

German main clauses follow the “verb-second” rule: the finite verb must be in position 2. In Ich glaube dir, “Ich” is position 1, “glaube” is position 2, and “dir” comes afterwards as the object. If you move dir to position 1 for emphasis, you must still keep the verb in second place: Dir glaube ich.

How do you negate Ich glaube dir?

You place nicht after the dative object. The correct negation is Ich glaube dir nicht (I don’t believe you).

How do you form the question “Do you believe me?” in German?

Swap subject and verb for a yes/no question and use the dative pronoun mir (dative of “ich”): Glaubst du mir?

What’s the difference between ich glaube dir and ich glaube an dich?

• Ich glaube dir means “I believe what you say” or “I trust you.”
• Ich glaube an dich means “I believe in you” (i.e. I have faith in your abilities).
  Notice glauben an requires the preposition an plus the accusative case.

Can I use glauben with a dass-clause? If so, how?

Yes. When you “believe that …,” you introduce a subordinate clause with dass and a comma: Ich glaube, dass du Recht hast.
(= “I believe that you are right.”)

What’s the difference between glauben, denken, and meinen?

• glauben: to believe something is true (often with some doubt): Ich glaube, es regnet.
• denken: to think (have an opinion or be lost in thought): Ich denke oft an dich.
• meinen: to mean or to be of the opinion: Ich meine, wir sollten gehen.
  They’re similar but used in slightly different contexts of opinion, thought process, and belief.

How do you emphasize dir in Ich glaube dir?

You can front dir to the first position for emphasis, keeping the verb second: Dir glaube ich!
Spoken German also allows vocal stress on dir: Ich glaube dir!

What are the present tense conjugations of glauben?

Singular:

1. ich glaube
2. du glaubst
3. er/sie/es glaubt
   Plural:
4. wir glauben
5. ihr glaubt
6. sie/Sie glauben