Breakdown of Я не верю, чтобы она преувеличивала, это просто абсурд.
это
this / it is
не
not
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
я
I
Questions & Answers about Я не верю, чтобы она преувеличивала, это просто абсурд.
Why do we use чтобы here instead of just что?
Because the main clause contains a negated verb of belief (не верю). While you could use что, swapping it for чтобы triggers the subjunctive mood. This strongly emphasizes your doubt, making the sentence feel more like "I don't believe for a second that she exaggerated" or "It's unthinkable that she exaggerated."
I learned that чтобы means "in order to". Is she exaggerating in order to do something here?
Not here! When paired with verbs of doubt or denial (like не верю, не думаю, or сомневаюсь), чтобы loses its "in order to" meaning. It simply translates as "that", but it signals to the listener that the action in the following clause is hypothetical or highly unlikely.
If I wanted to say "I don't believe she is exaggerating" (right now), could I say чтобы она преувеличивает?
No, that would be grammatically incorrect. The conjunction чтобы must always be followed by a past tense verb (or an infinitive), regardless of when the action actually happens. If you want to clearly express a present-tense action, you must drop the subjunctive mood entirely and say что она преувеличивает.
Why use the imperfective преувеличивала instead of the perfective преувеличила?