Breakdown of ¿Crees que existe el flechazo?
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
creer
to believe / to think
existir
to exist
el flechazo
the love at first sight
Questions & Answers about ¿Crees que existe el flechazo?
Why does this sentence use the indicative existe instead of the subjunctive exista?
As a general rule, affirmative statements with creer que take the indicative, while negative statements (no creo que) trigger the subjunctive. When asking a question like ¿crees que...?, you can actually use either! We use the indicative (existe) for a neutral question to find out what someone thinks, which is the most common scenario. You would only use the subjunctive (exista) if you, the speaker, already strongly doubt that it exists.
How does flechazo translate to "love at first sight"?
The word comes from flecha (arrow) plus the suffix -azo, which often means a hit, blow, or strike. So, un flechazo is literally an "arrow strike" (referencing Cupid's arrow!). In everyday Spanish, it is the standard colloquial way to talk about love at first sight. Another common but more literal phrase is amor a primera vista.
Why is the word order existe el flechazo instead of el flechazo existe?
In Spanish, it is extremely common to put the verb before the subject, especially with verbs that express existence, arrival, or occurrence (like existir, llegar, or pasar). While ¿Crees que el flechazo existe? is perfectly correct, putting the verb first sounds a bit more natural and flows better in spoken Spanish.
In English we say "believe IN love at first sight." Why is there no en after crees?
Spanish does use creer en for "to believe in" (like creer en los fantasmas for "to believe in ghosts"). However, this sentence uses a different grammatical structure: creer que (to believe/think that) followed by a whole new clause. Literally, it translates to "Do you think that love at first sight exists?", which naturally avoids the need for the preposition en.
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