believe
gb/bɪlˈiv/ us/bɪlˈiv/
A2
Engels
~ 300
Betekenissen
0 betekenissen
Werkwoord
A2
action
1
Accept something as true
To think that something is true.
Gebruikspatroon:
to believe [something]
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes confuse 'believe' with 'think' in all cases. 'Believe' is more about accepting truth, while 'think' is about having an opinion.
Synoniemen
accept (Focuses on agreeing that something is true without necessarily feeling strongly about it.)
Antoniemen
doubt (Means to feel uncertain about whether something is true.)
Woordcombinaties
firmly believe
|truly believe
|believe strongly
|believe wholeheartedly
Thema's
thinking
|truth
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Voorbeelden
- I believe her explanation about what happened.
- Many scientists believe the climate is changing rapidly.
- He believes the rumors without checking the facts.
- They believe the story because it came from a trusted source.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- I believe your words.
- She believes the news.
- They believe the story.
- We believe his answer.
Werkwoord
A2
action
2
Have trust or faith in
To trust someone or something.
Gebruikspatroon:
to believe in [someone/something]
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes omit 'in' when talking about trust, saying 'I believe you' when they mean 'I believe in you'. These have different meanings.
Synoniemen
trust (Implies reliance on someone's reliability or honesty.)
Antoniemen
mistrust (Means to have no trust or confidence in someone or something.)
Woordcombinaties
believe in yourself
|believe in miracles
|believe in justice
Thema's
trust
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Voorbeelden
- I believe in my team's ability to win.
- She believes in her children and supports their dreams.
- They believe in freedom of speech.
- We all need to believe in ourselves.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- I believe in you.
- She believes in her friends.
- They believe in love.
- We believe in our school.
Werkwoord
A2
action
3
Think something exists
To think something is real, even without proof.
Gebruikspatroon:
to believe in [something]
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes confuse this with trusting someone. 'Believe in God' means you think God exists, not that you trust God.
Synoniemen
accept the existence of (A more formal way to say you think something exists.)
Antoniemen
disbelieve (To reject the idea that something exists.)
Woordcombinaties
believe in ghosts
|believe in God
|believe in aliens
Thema's
beliefs
|religion
|core_vocabulary
Voorbeelden
- Do you believe in life on other planets?
- Many people believe in God.
- Some children still believe in Santa Claus.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- I believe in God.
- She believes in Santa Claus.
- They believe in ghosts.
Werkwoord
A2
action
4
Be convinced by someone's words
To think what someone says is true.
Gebruikspatroon:
to believe [someone]
Veelgemaakte fout:
'Believe someone' means you think their words are true. It is different from 'believe in someone', which means you trust their ability or character.
Synoniemen
trust (In this case, specifically trusting the truth of someone's words.)
Antoniemen
disbelieve (Refusing to accept what someone says as true.)
Woordcombinaties
hard to believe someone
|easily believe someone
Thema's
communication
|trust
|core_vocabulary
Voorbeelden
- I can't believe you after what happened last time.
- We believed him when he said he was innocent.
- Do you really believe her? She has lied before.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- I believe you.
- She believes him.
- They believe her words.
Grammatica
Lemmavorm
believe
IPA
GB/bɪlˈiv/
US/bɪlˈiv/
Lettergrepen en klemtoon
be - lieve (2 lettergrepen)
Stress on 2nd syllable (lieve)
Woordvormen
Verb
- Base: believe
- 3rd Person Singular: believes
- Present Participle: believing
- Past: believed
Woordfamilie
Forms
believes
verb
believing
verb
believed
verb
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
believability
noun
believably
adverb C1
Uitdrukkingen
believe it or not
1/bɪlˈiv ˈɪt ˈɔɹ nˈɑt/
fixed phrase
Surprising but true statement
Used to say that what follows is surprising but true.
Voorbeelden
- Believe it or not, he has never used a smartphone.
- Believe it or not, she ran the marathon without training.
believe you me
1/bɪlˈiv jˈu mˈi/
idiom
informal
Emphasize truth of statement
Used to tell someone that what you are saying is really true.
Voorbeelden
- Believe you me, this job is harder than it looks.
- Believe you me, you don't want to miss this opportunity.
can't believe one's eyes/ears
1/kˈænt bɪlˈiv wˈʌnz isˈɛɹz/
idiom
informal
Extremely surprised by sight or sound
To be very surprised by what you see or hear.
Voorbeelden
- I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the price of the car.
- She couldn't believe her ears when they told her the news.
make believe
1/mˈeɪk bɪlˈiv/
fixed phrase
Pretend for fun
To pretend something is real as part of a game or story.
Voorbeelden
- The children were making believe they were pirates.
- Let's make believe we're astronauts exploring space.