Breakdown of Creo que el político exagera en el debate.
en
in / on / at
que
that / than
creer
to believe
el político
the politician
Questions & Answers about Creo que el político exagera en el debate.
Why is exagera in the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive here?
Because the sentence starts with Creo que (I believe that). When you state a positive belief or something you think is a fact, Spanish uses the normal indicative mood. If it were negative, like No creo que el político exagere, you would use the subjunctive because the action is being doubted or denied.
Can el político also mean "politics"?
Could I say está exagerando instead of exagera?
Yes, you can use the present progressive (está exagerando) if you want to emphasize that he is exaggerating right at this exact moment. However, Spanish uses the simple present (exagera) much more often than English does to describe actions happening right now or in general.
Do we need a preposition after exagera to say he exaggerates "about" something?
In Spanish, exagerar doesn't typically need a preposition like "about." If you want to say he exaggerates the facts, you just say exagera los hechos. In this sentence, we just state the action (exagera) and specify where it happens (en el debate).