Introduction

Credere means “to believe”, and this page covers exactly one thing: credere in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for credere, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about credere in the present. It means to believe someone and to believe in something, and it is the verb for opinions and trust. Only its passato remoto is irregular; every other tense follows the regular -ere pattern. For example: “Lui crede a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He believes Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of credere exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Credere in the Present — full table

Person Form
io credo
tu credi
lui/lei crede
noi crediamo
voi credete
loro credono
Gerund: credendo · Past participle: creduto
The gerund is credendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Credendo a Maria, imparo molto.” — “While believing Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is creduto, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho creduto is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how credere is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for credere, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of credere is formed

The present tense of credere has six forms: io credo, tu credi, lui crede, noi crediamo, voi credete, loro credono. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. credere is irregular in passato-remoto: the present forms do not all follow the standard -ere endings, so learn the six forms as a set instead of deriving them from the infinitive. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of credere are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning crediamo and credete pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so credo can mean both “I believe” and “I am believing” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because credere is irregular in the present, there is no shortcut: the six forms above are the forms, and they have to be learnt as they are. The good news is that the most frequent verbs are the irregular ones, so every minute spent on them pays off in real conversation.

When to use the present of credere

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use credere in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and credere is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io credo a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I believe Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about credere does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui crede a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He believes Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with credere in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi crediamo a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We believe Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu credi a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You believe Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and credere in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro credono a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They believe Maria.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui crede a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He believes Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha creduto a Maria questa settimana.” — “He has believed Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io credo a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I believe Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho creduto a Maria questa settimana.” — “I have believed Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu credi a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You believe Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai creduto a Maria questa settimana.” — “You have believed Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: credere in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io credo a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I believe Maria”
  2. “Tu credi a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You believe Maria”
  3. “Lui crede a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He believes Maria”
  4. “Noi crediamo a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We believe Maria”
  5. “Voi credete a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You believe Maria”
  6. “Loro credono a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They believe Maria”
  7. “Io credo a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I believe Maria”
  8. “Lui crede a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He believes Maria”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io credi a Maria.” Right: “Io credo a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is credo, not credi. credi is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi credo a Maria.” Right: “Noi crediamo a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form crediamo. credo belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io credo a Maria ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho creduto a Maria questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho creduto for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io credere a Maria.” Right: “Io credo a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive credere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form credo.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) credi
    • B) credo
    • C) crede
    • D) crediamo

  2. What is the tu form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) credo
    • B) crede
    • C) credi
    • D) crediamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) credo
    • B) credi
    • C) crediamo
    • D) crede

  4. What is the noi form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) crediamo
    • B) credo
    • C) credi
    • D) crede

  5. What is the voi form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) credo
    • B) credete
    • C) credi
    • D) crede

  6. What is the loro form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) credo
    • B) credi
    • C) credono
    • D) crede

  7. What is the io form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) credi
    • B) crede
    • C) crediamo
    • D) credo

  8. What is the tu form of credere in the Present indicative?

    • A) credi
    • B) credo
    • C) crede
    • D) crediamo

Answer key

  1. B) credo — the correct form is credo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) credi — the correct form is credi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) crede — the correct form is crede. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) crediamo — the correct form is crediamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) credete — the correct form is credete. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) credono — the correct form is credono. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) credo — the correct form is credo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) credi — the correct form is credi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does credere mean in English?

credere means “to believe”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ere verb.

How is the present tense of credere formed?

The six present forms are: io credo, tu credi, lui crede, noi crediamo, voi credete, loro credono. credere is irregular: the forms have to be learnt as a set, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of credere?

The gerund is credendo and the past participle is creduto.

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