Parli Italiano?
Chapter 6: Penso/credo che VS penso/credo di
When expressing someone’s thoughts or opinions, we use pensare/credere che + subjunctive.
or
Voi pensate/credete che io parli bene l’inglese?
Notice that in both these examples, the subject of pensare/credere (io penso, voi credete) is different from the subject of the second verb (l’italiano sia, io parli).
After pensare/credere, we use che + subjunctive if the subject of the dependent clause is different from the subject of pensare/credere.
When the subject of pensare/credere and the subject of the dependent clause are the same, we use di + infinitive
Voi credete di conoscere la grammatica italiana [You all think you all know Italian grammar well]
NOTA BENE
The verb pensare, when used with the meaning of “thinking about someone/something”, or “worrying about something”, or “taking care of something”, takes on the preposition a.
Penso ai miei genitori molto spesso. [I think about my parents very often]
Non pensare all’esame! [Don’t think about the exam!]
The verb credere, when used with the meaning of “believing something/someone” takes on the preposition a. When used with the meaning of “having faith in something/someone”, it takes on the preposition in.
Credo sempre a quello che dice la professoressa. [I always believe what the professor says]
Credete in una religione? [Do you all have faith in a religion?]