What prepositions can be used with creer and how do they change the meaning.
Creer en/a ...
Leer, creer and proveer are irregular in El Pretérito Indefinido, but follow the same pattern: the ending of the third person singular and plural (ella/ él/ usted and ellas/ ellos/ ustedes) replaces the -i- with a -y. The other endings are the same as regular -er verbs: -i, -iste, -imos, -isteis, but these verbs take an accent on the -i.
| yo | -í |
| tú | -íste |
| él / ella / Ud. | -yó |
| nosotros / nosotras | -ímos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -ísteis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | -yeron |
Look at and listen to these examples:
Creí que llegarías más pronto.
I thought you'd get there sooner.
¿Leíste el informe que te di?
Did you read the report I gave you?
Él creyó a Cristina.
He believed Cristina.
Usted leyó un poema de Neruda muy bonito.
You read a very beautiful Neruda poem.
Nosotros leímos esa novela en clase de literatura.
We read that novel in literature class.
Vosotros creísteis que nunca lo conseguiríais.
You thought you would never make it.
Ellos proveyeron de alimentos a los damnificados.
They provided food to the victims.
Verbs that follow this pattern are:
- leer (to read)
- creer (believe/think)
- proveer (provide)
Leer in El Pretérito Indefinido has the same type of irregularity as -uir verbs. See Conjugate irregular verbs ending in -uir in El Pretérito Indefinido (simple past) and List of Spanish Irregular -uir verbs (i > y) in the present and past tenses.
For regular -er verbs in El Pretérito Indefinido see:
Conjugate regular -er and -ir verbs in El Pretérito Indefinido (simple past)
Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
Usted leyó un poema de Neruda muy bonito.
You read a very beautiful Neruda poem.
¿Leíste el informe que te di?
Did you read the report I gave you?
Miguel leyó el libro en dos días.
Miguel read the book within two days.
Vosotros creísteis que nunca lo conseguiríais.
You thought you would never make it.
Yo leí el periódico ayer.
I read the newspaper yesterday.
Ellas leyeron en alto.
They read aloud.
Creí que llegarías más pronto.
I thought you'd get there sooner.
Él creyó a Cristina.
He believed Cristina.
Ellos proveyeron de alimentos a los damnificados.
They provided food to the victims.
Vosotros leísteis la carta.
You read the letter.
¿Leíste la redacción de Laura?
Did you read Laura's essay?
El juez leyó la sentencia.
The judge read the sentence.
Nosotros leímos esa novela en clase de literatura.
We read that novel in literature class.
No leyeron el artículo del domingo pasado.
They did not read the article from last Sunday.
Q&A Forum 8 questions, 12 answers
InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola Emanuel
Creer can be used with "en" for "to believe in something/someone", for example:
Creo en la religión católica. ( I believe in Catholicism.)
Ella cree en la reencarnación. (She believes in reincarnation.)
Here you are believing in "something", e.g. a particular faith, an abstract idea,...
But you can also use it with people with both "en" and "a". There is a difference though. For example:
Marcos creyó en ella cuando nadie la apoyaba. (Marcos believed her/trusted her/had faith in her when nobody supported her.)
but
Marcos creyó a Cristina. (He believed Cristina [he believed in Cristina's words, what she said])
We could say that "creer en alguien" is believe in something/someone and "creer a alguien" is believe someone.
I can't think of any other prepositions used with creer.
I hope this helps,
Saludos
Inma
Emanuel asked:View original
Creer - prepositions
What prepositions can be used with creer and how do they change the meaning.
Creer en/a ...
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InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola Emanuel
Yes, you can change the order. It won't affect the meaning.
Usted leyó un poema muy bonito de Neruda.
Usted leyó un poema de Neruda muy bonito.
Saludos
Inma
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Typo? El creyó a Cristina.
In your example,
El creyó a Cristina.
He believed Cristina.
Shouldn't it be Él?
Asked 1 month ago
Lyndsey asked:View original
Typo? El creyó a Cristina.
In your example,
El creyó a Cristina.
He believed Cristina.
Shouldn't it be Él?
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I hear you saying I HAVE TO use the vosotros form for Juan y tú. In my part of the world that would be the ustedes form.
I'm finding myself very confused because you are assuming something that I haven't been taught to assume. (I've been taught to assume something else.) I don't want to reprogram my brain! I'm content with *recognizing* (in a passive way) when the vosotros form is being used. But I'd like to continue to use ustedes when it is appropriate in the form of Spanish I've been learning and using. I don't want to learn (in an active way) the vosotros form.
Asked 4 months ago
InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola Ruthann
Kwiziq content is based on Spanish from Spain, although we are planning to add lessons to follow Spanish spoken and learnt in Latin America. We explain this in our FAQs session.
What kind of Spanish will I learn
Saludos cordiales,
Inma
I did read that in the FAQs back when I signed up. What it did NOT say (and, thus, what I didn't know) was that you would be marking the Latin American "ustedes" form INCORRECT...even though it's not wrong. You should accept BOTH correct answers, not just one of them.
I'm finding this deeply disturbing. In order to pass your tests I have to call "wrong" what I know is right...how I actually do speak and will be speaking. That really messes up the learning process.
I'm 71 years old and have taken a lot of classes in my lifetime. But in none of the others have I had face a situation like this.
I can think of only one way to deal with this, assuming you can't adjust your acceptable answers: every time you ask me for a "vosotros" form I will stop and look it up so I can answer the way you insist that I answer. At the same time I will answer the Latin American way...just to keep my sanity.
GruffKwiziq language super star
Hi Ruthann - I'm sorry this is frustrating for you and completely understand why that would be the case. We're very aware of the issue that Latin American Spanish has different rules, and we are working towards solving the problem of supporting students who don't want to study peninsular Spanish.
This isn't going to be a quick fix for us, unfortunately, but we hope in the future we'll be able to let you set your account preferences and adjust the content that you see and the questions and correct responses accordingly.
For now though, we only offer European Spanish and so the questions are marked according to how Spanish is spoken here in Europe.
Best wishes.
Ruthann asked:View original
I hear you saying I HAVE TO use the vosotros form for Juan y tú. In my part of the world that would be the ustedes form.
I'm finding myself very confused because you are assuming something that I haven't been taught to assume. (I've been taught to assume something else.) I don't want to reprogram my brain! I'm content with *recognizing* (in a passive way) when the vosotros form is being used. But I'd like to continue to use ustedes when it is appropriate in the form of Spanish I've been learning and using. I don't want to learn (in an active way) the vosotros form.
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Conjugations
Hola,
In the introduction it states ...."all the other endings are the same as regular er verbs íste, ímos, ísteis."
Is this correct? Aren't the ending of regular er verbs iste, imos and isteis all without the accent?
Or am i missing something?
Thanks.
Asked 6 months ago
InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola John
You are right. It was a typo. It's been corrected. Endings for regular -er verbs in El Indefinido do not take the accent. Thanks for spotting that and letting us know.
Un saludo
Inma
John asked:View original
Conjugations
Hola,
In the introduction it states ...."all the other endings are the same as regular er verbs íste, ímos, ísteis."
Is this correct? Aren't the ending of regular er verbs iste, imos and isteis all without the accent?
Or am i missing something?
Thanks.
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InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola John
Yes, you need here to conjugate proveer in the "vosotros" form as the subject of the sentence is "Juan y tú", i.e you plural, two people. "Juan y tú proveísteis" -> "Vosotros proveísteis".
Saludos
Inma
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proveyeron de
Ellos proveyeron de alimentos a los damnificados.
They provided food to the victims.
Where does the 'de' come from here?
ThanksAsked 10 months ago
InmaKwiziq language super star
Hola Ricky
Verb to provide, in Spanish sometimes admits preposition "de" as in "proveer de algo". It would also be correct if you omit the preposition though.
It is like saying in English "He provided the poor with food" where you also use a preposition "with", although a different one, or "He provided food to the poor", with no preposition.
Saludos
Inma
Hi Inma, the presence and abscence of "de" (and function thereof) is also confusing for me. Also, are "de" and "por" sometimes interchangable. eg. "Él estaba rodeado de tiborones" and Él estaba rodeado por tiborones" Are these both correct? If so/not why?
Thanks, Brett
I was also surprised by the 'de' after proveer but now, it makes sense. It's like the provider of (something).
Maybe this will help the other students too :)
Ricky asked:View original
proveyeron de
Ellos proveyeron de alimentos a los damnificados.
They provided food to the victims.
Where does the 'de' come from here?
ThanksDon't have an account yet? Join today
SilviaKwiziq language super star
¡Hola Ricky! Could you please make your question clearer in order to help you?
Gracias.
Silvia.
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