creyó

Creyó is the third-person singular form of the Spanish verb creer in the preterite tense. It translates to "he believed" or "she believed" (or "you believed" in a formal sense) in English. Creer means "to believe" or "to think."

In the preterite, creer shows a spelling change in the third person forms to preserve pronunciation after a vowel. The full paradigm for the preterite is: yo creí, tú creíste, él creyó; nosotros creímos, vosotros creísteis, ellos creyeron. The form creyó is written with a "y" and an acute accent on the final syllable.

Usage-wise, creyó is used to describe a completed belief or thought in the past, often within narrative or reported speech. It can imply that the belief was true at the moment or that the belief later changed or was challenged. It contrasts with creía, the imperfect tense form used for habitual or ongoing belief in the past (e.g., "creía" = "he/she used to believe" or "he/she believed at the time").

Examples:

- Ayer, María creyó que la reunión empezaba a las nueve.

- Él creyó haber visto un pájaro, pero resultó ser un fallo de la luz.

Etymology and related forms: creer comes from the Latin credere, sharing roots with words like creed and credentials. Other conjugated forms include creyó (third person singular) and creyeron (third person plural). The verb is commonly used in both spoken and written Spanish to convey past belief or assumption.

See also: creer, pretérito indefinido, conjugation patterns of -er verbs with vowel endings.