Difference between present and gerund of "credere"

Ask Question

Asked 4 years, 2 months ago

Modified 4 years, 2 months ago

Viewed 74 times

What is the difference of meaning between the following sentences?

Charo♦

38.6k38 gold badges143 silver badges312 bronze badges

asked Sep 21, 2019 at 1:03

Alan Evangelista

4,8278 silver badges17 bronze badges

2

Basically, they mean the same; the first one has a more affermative/peremptory tone; while the second one seems to suggest that the action (of believing) is currently taking place at this moment); the translation difference could be: "I believe in you" / "I am believing in you".
– Riccardo De Contardi
Sep 21, 2019 at 8:12
"I am believing in you" is incorrect English. Stative verbs such as "to believe", "to know", "to doubt", "to wish", "to like", "to prefer", "to sound", "to hear", "to see" and "to taste" are not used in present progressive
– Alan Evangelista
Sep 21, 2019 at 13:43
I did not remember that, my fault. Maybe "I am trusting you" could be correct?
– Riccardo De Contardi
Sep 21, 2019 at 13:59
1

@RiccardoDeContardi Nope, "to trust" is also a stative verb. In general, verbs which describe thinking/opinion (includes "to believe" and "to trust"), feelings, liking, sensory perception, possession and state are "stative" and are not used in progressive conjugations.
– Alan Evangelista
Sep 21, 2019 at 17:14
@AlanEvangelista: Then, maybe we have the problem of not knowing how to explain in English the very slightly different nuance in meaning of these two sentences.
– Charo ♦
Sep 22, 2019 at 7:58

| Show 4 more comments

0 Your Answer

Name

Required, but never shown

Post as a guest

Name

Required, but never shown

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.