Credere di: Italian grammar lesson 190

Summary

Dive into the nuances of Italian with our breakdown of “credere di”! Master when to use this phrase over “credere che” and seamlessly blend verbs in the infinitive for that authentic Italian flair. 🇮🇹✨

  • Understanding “credere di”: Get the hang of using credere di when you’re continuing the action with another verb in the infinitive. It’s like saying “I believe I can…” in English. 🤔
  • Same Subject Simplicity: Use credere di when the subject of both actions is the same. No need to repeat yourself; Italians get it! 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️
  • Infinitive Flexibility: Whether it’s present or past, credere di plays well with both. Choose mangiare or aver mangiato depending on your timeline. ⏳
  • Switching Subjects: If you’re changing the subject mid-sentence, switch to credere che. Keep things clear when the doer of the action changes. 👥
  • Practical Examples: Absorb the concept with real-life examples. From thinking you’re funny to believing you’ve made the right choice, see how Italians express it. 😄👍

My thoughts

What is the meaning of credere di in Italian?

In today’s post, we’re going to focus on when we say credere di. And, just so you know, the same rules apply for pensare di.

Have a look at the following example:

Noi non crediamo di potere andare in vacanza.

We don’t think we can go on holiday.

As you can see, in English we didn’t translate non crediamo di as “don’t think of” but just as didn’t think, since otherwise it would just sound odd.

When to use credere di

When do we say credere di?

You might be wondering why, then, we use credere di instead of just credere or credere che.

Basically, we use credere di when we want to carry on talking about another action and, thus, we use another verb in the infinitive (its base form, like potere).

Also, we use credere di when the subject in the first clause is the same as the subject in the second clause, as you can see below:

(1) Noi non crediamo di (2) potere andare in vacanza.

(1) We don’t think (2) we can go on holiday.

The subject is noi (we) in both clauses: the people who “don’t think” are the same who cannot “go on holiday”.

However, in Italian we don’t need to add a subject in the second clause (right after di) because, for us, it’s obvious it’s the same as the one in the first clause.

Here’s the structure: Subject +credere or pensare conjugated +di + verb in the infinitive.

By the way, after di we can use the present infinitive (mangiare) or the past infinitive (aver mangiato), depending on whether we’re referring to the present or the past.

When to use credere di in Italian

When do we say credere che?

We wouldn’t use credere di if the subject in the first clause was different to the subject in the second clause, like in the sentence below:

(1) Noi non crediamo che (2) loro possano andare in vacanza.

(1) We don’t think (2) they can go on holiday.

In this case, the subject is noi (we) in the first clause and loro (they) in the second clause, so we cannot use credere di. We use credere che instead.

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But don’t worry about credere che for now.

Just make sure you understand when we use credere di.

Credere di when to use

Credi di: examples

Let’s now have a look at some more examples:

Credi di essere divertente?

Do you think you’re funny?

Credo di volere venire anche io.

I think I want to come too.

Cosa credete di fare?

What do you think you’re doing?

Credo di aver capito.

I think I understood.

Non credono di aver fatto nulla di grave.

They don’t think they did anything serious.

Lei crede di aver fatto la cosa giusta.

She thinks she did the right thing.

Non credo di mangiare tanto.

I don’t think I’m eating too much.

Credere di when to use in Italian

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.

When do we use "credere che"?

When the subject in the first clause is different to the subject in the second clause.

Italian word of the day
bottiglie
Example
Colleziono bottiglie. Non sai proprio cosa fare, eh?
I collect bottles. You just don’t know what to do, huh?
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