No sé si creerte

Question

Seems odd the fact that creer is not conjugated. I don't know if to believe you I guess. No sé si te creo is what I would say. Both ways are right?? Gracias.

Answer 1

But if you don't know, as indicated by no sé then how you can believe they will occur at all? I always hear "No sé si puedo" in indicative tense but I don't see where the use of one or the other would be preferred, or why both forms would be used.

Please remember that the use of subjunctive has nothing to do with uncertainty, I am surprised that this is still an issue on this forum, we have a lot of threads on this.

And you are right, Jeezle.

I may never fully learn subjunctive. But any thread that ends in "You are right Jeezzle" is the right answer every time ;) LOL. - jeezzle, Mar 5, 2011

Answer 2

Qfreed is right on the money. There's no need to conjugate creer since the subject is the same. However, conjugating it is also possible and correct.

No sé si te creo (I don't think I believe you).

No sé si te crea (I am not sure I believe you).

Answer 3

Jeezle said:

But if you don't know, as indicated by no sé then how you can believe they will occur at all? I always hear "No sé si puedo" in indicative tense but I don't see where the use of one or the other would be preferred, or why both forms would be used.

I love these questions. Please do not let the verb No saber throw you off. What prompts the use of the subjunctive is the degree of uncertainty you may have on the outcome.

No sé si puedo. I am not sure I can. This is closer to "no" than No se si pueda. But there might be a slight possibility I could.

Answer 4

No, Jeezzle, crea is correct. No sé usually takes the subjunctive. No sé si pueda. No sé si vengan. No sé si termine. - usarenzo

This usage is considered incorrect in Spain.

Also read this Jeezle:

"No sé si" va normalmente seguido de indicativo, pero los gramáticos aceptan el subjuntivo en las subordinadas "deliberativas" aunque no les suene bien a todos los hispanohablantes:

La oración compuesta en español por María Pilar Garcés (Editorial Verbum):

"Las oraciones interrogativas indirectas, llamadas "deliberativas" introducidas por 'no sé' son las únicas que pueden construirse con subjuntivo cuando el hablante está decidiendo qué es lo que le resulta más o menos conveniente: No sé si vaya a la reunión. El hablante está considerando los pros y los contras de ir o no ir a la reunión."

El subjuntivo, valores y usos por J. Borrego (y otros) (SGEL):

(Las interrogativas indirectas) "llevan típicamente indicativo (...) pero las deliberativas se construyen con infinitivo o subjuntivo. Este modo, bien documentado en escritores antiguos y modernos, no es, sin embargo, unánimemente aceptado por todos los hablantes de español. No sé qué te diga / ...qué decirte. No sé si vaya o no / ...si ir o no."

Answer 5

No sé si te crea (I am not sure I believe you).

This sentence is incorrect, you do not use subjunctive with "si" sentences in the present.

What prompts the use of the subjunctive is the degree of uncertainty you may have on the outcome.

As we all know, we have to forget about the "uncertainty" rule

Please read this on the topic, Lazarus is the specialist on this issue.

Answer 6

The reason that it is not conjugated is because there is not a subject change, therefore, I don't know if I believe you.

If there was a subject change then you would need a subordinate clause.

No sé si ella te crea.

No, Jeezzle, crea is correct. No sé usually takes the subjunctive. No sé si pueda. No sé si vengan. No sé si termine. - gone, Mar 5, 2011

But it can also take the indicative. No sé si puedo. No sé si vienen. No sé si terminan. The difference is in your belief of whether or not these actions will occur for sure. - gone, Mar 5, 2011

But if you don't know, as indicated by no sé then how you can believe they will occur at all? I always hear "No sé si puedo" in indicative tense but I don't see where the use of one or the other would be preferred, or why both forms would be used. - jeezzle, Mar 5, 2011

I guess, Jeezz, that you although you don't know for certain, you can have some idea about how likely you think it is, and that's where the sub/ind choice comes in. - galsally, Mar 5, 2011