Credere di: Italian Grammar Lesson 190

Key Takeaways

Credere di expresses personal beliefs about oneself, followed by a verb in the present or past infinitive.
In contrast, credere che is used for beliefs about others, requiring the subjunctive mood after che.
Examples include Credo di essere (I believe I am) versus Credo che tu sia (I believe that you are).
Understanding the difference between these structures is crucial for correct grammatical usage in Italian.
Both phrases highlight the importance of perspective—whether the belief is inward or outward affects the grammatical structure.

Stefano's Insights

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Ah, 'credere di'! Un piccolo gioiello della lingua italiana che spesso confonde i non madrelingua. Si usa quando il soggetto della frase principale è lo stesso dell'azione successiva. Quindi, 'Noi non crediamo di potere andare in vacanza' è perfetto perché 'noi' è il soggetto in entrambe le parti. Invece, se i soggetti cambiano, usiamo 'credere che', come in 'Noi non crediamo che loro possano andare in vacanza'. Ricordo quando studiavo italiano e mi confondevo sempre tra 'credere di' e 'credere che'. Era come cercare di capire un rebus! Ma una volta capita la regola, è tutto in discesa. E tu, hai mai avuto un momento di illuminazione con la grammatica italiana?

Ah, 'credere di'! A little gem of the Italian language that often confuses non-native speakers. It's used when the subject of the main clause is the same as the subsequent action. So, 'Noi non crediamo di potere andare in vacanza' is perfect because 'noi' is the subject in both parts. Instead, if the subjects change, we use 'credere che', like in 'Noi non crediamo che loro possano andare in vacanza'. I remember when I was studying Italian and always confused 'credere di' with 'credere che'. It was like trying to solve a puzzle! But once you understand the rule, it's all downhill. And you, have you ever had an aha moment with Italian grammar?

Quick facts

When do you use "credere di" in Italian?

Use "credere di" when the subject in both clauses is the same and you want to continue with another action in infinitive form.

What’s the structure for using "credere di"?

The structure is Subject + credere/pensare conjugated + di + verb in the infinitive.

Can you use the past infinitive after "credere di"?

Yes, depending on whether you refer to the past or present, you can use the present infinitive (e.g., mangiare) or the past infinitive (e.g., aver mangiato).

When should you use "credere che" instead of "credere di"?

Use "credere che" when the subject in the first clause is different from the subject in the second clause.

Does the subject need to be repeated in the second clause after "credere di"?

No, it’s unnecessary to repeat the subject in the second clause because it is implied to be the same as the first.

Why isn't "credere di" translated as "think of" in English?

Translating "credere di" as "think of" sounds odd in English; it's more natural to say "think" or "don’t think."

Can "pensare di" follow the same rules as "credere di"?

Yes, "pensare di" follows the same grammatical rules as "credere di" in Italian.

What does "Credi di essere divertente?" mean in English?

"Credi di essere divertente?" translates to "Do you think you’re funny?" in English.

How do you say "I think I understood" using "credere di"?

"I think I understood" translates to "Credo di aver capito" using "credere di."

How do you express "They don’t think they did anything serious" in Italian using "credere di"?

"They don’t think they did anything serious" is expressed as "Non credono di aver fatto nulla di grave" in Italian using "credere di."

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Main Article

“Credere di” in Italian

Credere di is one of those Italian prepositional verbs that are often tricky for non-native speakers. At first glance you might think it is easy; after all, credere means “to believe” and di is a common preposition.

However, the way you can use credere di goes beyond a basic translation: credere di is used when you are expressing a belief about oneself.

I really want to underline that these opinions are about oneself, because whether they are projected “inwards” or “outwards” plays a huge grammatical role.

In fact, grammatically speaking, it is always followed by a verb conjugated either in the present infinitive or past infinitive, as you can see from the examples below:

Credo di essere stanca.

I believe I am tired.

Credo di aver capito.

I believe I understood.

In these examples, it introduces the speaker’s personal belief about their own state – feeling tired – and about a personal action – understanding something.

“Credere di” vs “Credere che”

While credere di expresses personal beliefs about oneself, credere cheis used to express beliefs about other people or things.

A key grammatical difference between these two phrases is that credere che is followed by the subjunctive mood. In the previous section I mentioned how important it is to differentiate between personal and other’s believe for this very reason.

In this sense, it is very similar to the grammatical structure of senza vs senza che, where same subjects trigger the infinitive mood and different subjects trigger the subjunctive mood.

Let me show you some examples:

Credo che tu sia simpatico.

I believe that you are nice.

In this case, the belief is about someone else (you), and che is followed by sia, the present subjunctive form of essere. Now compare this with:

Credo di essere simpatico.

I believe I am nice.

Here, the belief is about the speakers themselves, so di is used, and essere remains in the infinitive form.

Have a look at more examples of credere che with the past subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive, and past perfect subjunctive respectively:

Credo che lui abbia torto.

I believe that he is wrong.

Credevamo che avesse ragione, e invece si sbagliava.

We thought he was right, instead he was wrong.

Credevo che tu avessi comprato le birre.

I thought you had bought beers.

Key Terms and Concepts

Credere di

An Italian prepositional verb expressing a belief about oneself, followed by a verb in the present or past infinitive, like essere or aver capito.

Credere che

An expression used to express beliefs about others, followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood, such as sia or abbia torto.

Present Infinitive

The unconjugated form of a verb used with credere di to express beliefs about oneself, like essere.

Past Infinitive

A verb form used with credere di to express completed actions about oneself, as in aver capito.

Subjunctive Mood

Used in conjunction with credere che to express uncertainty or beliefs about others, utilizing forms like sia or abbia.

Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions

Words

credereto believe

diof

infinitivoinfinitive

soggettosubject

clausolaclause

pensareto think

presentepresent

passatopast

venireto come

essereto be

Phrases

credere dito think that

credere cheto believe that

verbo all'infinitoinfinitive verb

soggettosubject

tempo di riferimentotime reference

presente infinitopresent infinitive

passato infinitopast infinitive

clausolaclause

stesso soggettosame subject

soggetti diversidifferent subjects

Sentences

Credo di sapere la risposta.

I think I know the answer.

Penso di aver perso le chiavi.

I think I lost the keys.

Credi di aver finito il compito?

Do you think you finished the homework?

Spero di aver fatto la scelta giusta.

I hope I made the right choice.

Immagino di poter partecipare alla riunione.

I imagine I can attend the meeting.

Match the Phrases

Memory game

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Crossword

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Answers

FAQs

What is the meaning of "credere"?

It literally means to believe but in Italian is used with the sense of to think.

When do we use "credere di"?

When we want to carry on talking about another action and when the subject in the first clause is the same as the subject in the second clause.

How's the structure of "credere di"?

Subject + credere or pensare conjugations + di + past or present infinitive. Note that in Italian adding a subject in the second clause is not necessary because it's implicit.