French lesson: Penser que/Croire que = To think that/To believe that in French (2023)

FAQs

What is the difference between penser and Croire in French? ›

pense que versus croire que

Both penser que and croire que are translated to "think that", although I think only croire que is ever translated to "believe that".

Croire en = to believe in (have faith)

Je crois en karma. I believe in karma (righting wrongs). Elle croit en son papa. She believes in her father (that he will show up).

'Croire' Meanings and Uses

The primary meaning of croire is “to believe.” It's often followed by que, as in: Je crois qu'il viendra. = I believe he will come. Croire is not used with the subjunctive in the affirmative form, even if it's followed by que.

In the first pair, my data suggest that je crois tends to be used when the speaker has knowledge of the state of affairs at hand, while je pense indicates an assumption from the speaker.

verb. to have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.

Croire is an irregular -re verb. Elle n'y croit pas. – She doesn't believe in them.

How do you use penser in French? ›

In front of a noun, penser à means "to think about" as in "to consider, have on one's mind": Je pense à mes enfants. I'm thinking about my children.

penser judge or regard; look upon; judge.

Je peux becomes Puis-je (Can I?) in questions where the subject and verb are inverted (we can't write or say Peux-je). This form of the verb comes from an older style of conjugating the verb pouvoir.

The passé composé of Croire is formed by combining the auxiliary verb avoir with the past participle cru.

Do you believe in God? French Translation: Crois-tu en Dieu ?

The French philosopher, Rene Descartes is famous for the proposition, “Je pense, donc je suis”. In Latin, it is translated as “Cogito ergo sum”. And in English, we know this popular phrase as “I think, therefore I am”. This statement serves as the foundation for knowledge in the face of radical doubt.

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup.

Literal translation: “Eat well, laugh often, love a lot.” Actual meaning: “Live life to the fullest” or carpe diem (“seize the day”). Use this positive French saying to console a friend that is having a hard time.

How do you memorize French phrases? ›

Serrurerie

Brace yourself: The hardest French word to pronounce is the word for locksmith – “serrurerie“. It was the most commonly repeated response.

The most important French greetings include bonjour (hello), enchanté(e) (nice to meet you), bonsoir (good evening/hello), salut (hi), coucou (hey), Ça fait longtemps, dis donc (long time no see), Âllo (hello), Ça va? (how are you?), tu vas bien? (have you been well?), quoi de neuf? (what's up?), au revoir!

croire en soi [v] believe in yourself.

Translation of "crois en toi" in English. believe in you believe in yourself believe You faith in you.

verbs followed by no preposition: aimer, aimer mieux, aller, croire, désirer, devoir, faire, espérer, laisser.

Croire only uses the subjunctive when used in a negative sense, as in: "Je ne crois pas qu'il vienne." -- I don't believe that he comes. Otherwise you use the indiciative mood: "Je crois qu'il vient." or "Tu crois qu'il vient?" In your example, therefore, you would use the indicative.

Comprendre is a French irregular verb meaning to understand.

Generally speaking, venir is equivalent to "to come" (the opposite of aller – "to go"): Par exemple…

What are the 7 tenses in French? ›

The FSI scale ranks French as a “category I language”, considered “more similar to English” compared to categories III and IV “hard” or “super-hard languages”. According to the FSI, French is one of the easiest languages to learn for a native English speaker.

Réfléchir translates to “think over”, “ponder” or “mull”. Another translation is to “reflect”. Penser, however, is to think on a much more superficial level. Usually penser applies to thinking of something in a yes/no manor.

Does penser require the subjunctive? Penser may require the subjunctive, depending on whether it is used affirmatively, negatively, or interrogatively: Par exemple… Je pense qu'il veut aller avec nous.

'What do you think' is translated as Qu'est-ce que tu penses and Qu'est-ce que vous pensez?

Etymology. From French penser (“to think”), compare Haitian Creole panse.

Je voudrais is preferable in social contexts such as in a restaurant, as it is more polite and subtle than the blunt je veux (just like in English). [Note that j'aimerais (I would like) is also very commonly used in more polite contexts.]

If you are visiting France and need to use the restroom, the easiest thing to do is to step in a coffee shop. Just ask: “est-ce que je peux utiliser vos toilettes s'il vous plaît” (may I use your restroom) with a smile, and it should be no problem.

You should be saying 'J'y vais' or 'Je m'en vais' In English, you can say "I'm going," and everyone will understand that you're either leaving your current location or are on your way to a new destination that was previously mentioned. In French, however, simply saying Je vais (I'm going) is incomplete.

Tenses of the Subjonctif

Three past forms, which are the imparfait (imperfect), passé (past) and plus-que-parfait (pluperfect).

What are the rules of past tense in French? ›

For regular -er verbs (like manger), drop the final -er from the infinitive form of the verb and replace with é. (Example: manger becomes mangé, nager becomes nagé, jouer becomes joué.) For regular -ir verbs (like choisir), drop the final -ir from the infinitive form of the verb and replace with i.

[Indicatif] Passé Composé (Compound Past)

Le passé composé is the most common past tense in French. It's the equivalent of the English simple past and it's used to talk about a past event with a limited duration, that is now over.

Penser = to think

Penser is used just like "to think." Par exemple… Je pense, donc je suis. I think, therefore I am.

The passé composé of Croire is formed by combining the auxiliary verb avoir with the past participle cru.

1. vraiment (really) Did it actually happen? Est-ce que c'est vraiment arrivé ? 2.

Penser is a French regular er verb meaning to think.

There are 8 different verb tenses in the indicative mood: présent (present), imparfait (imperfect), passé simple (simple past), futur simple (simple future), passé composé (perfect), plus-que-parfait (pluperfect), passé antérieur (past anterior), and futur antérieur (future anterior).

What language is rêve? ›

rêve | translation French to English: Cambridge Dictionary.