when do you use one over the other

Question

When do you use pense & creo que?

Answer 1

You use creer if what you are saying is to be considered a belief, while you use pensar if you are referring to thought alone. In English we don't really distinguish, but we can if we want to. For example, the sentence "I think I'll go to the store really quickly" could also be said as "I believe I'll go to the store..." The second is far less used in English, but that is one use of creer in Spanish.

So, a "pensar" sentence would be something like, "I was thinking about you yesterday." The actual thoughts are what are being spoken of here, and there is no way that you can "believe about" someone.

So, basically, any time you can replace the "think" in your English sentence with "believe" then go ahead and use creer. Just a general rule; there are always exceptions, but that will be a good start.

EDIT: This is really simplification. I'm sure there are lessons on the site and other places if you want more detail, and I am not a native Spanish speaker or an expert on Spanish thought process, so please except someone else's answer if it is more clear or detailed. Thanks

That's a good rule of thumb. - KevinB, Aug 20, 2010

thanks :) so do you think I should take my disclaimer off? haha I just always feel like there is someone here could say what I'm saying, but in a better way than I can. - megan5, Aug 20, 2010

Answer 2

Sometimes we get lucky and we can translate usages between languages, although this is rare. In this case, you´re lucky. So you just have to ask yourself when in English you would use "Think" as opposed to "Believe."