Present subjunctive: verbs of opinion - creer, pensar, opinar, parecer

Subjuntivo presente: verbos de opinión - creer, pensar, opinar, parecer

Los verbos de opinión sirven para expresar una opinión personal y pueden ir con indicativo o subjuntivo.

(Opinion verbs are used to express a personal opinion and can be followed by the indicative or the subjunctive.)

Teacher explanation

What decides it: certainty vs. doubt (your “mental stance”)

After que, Spanish chooses the mood based on how sure the speaker is.

Indicative = you present the information as valid / true for you.
Subjunctive = you present it as not confirmed: doubt, denial, uncertainty, or “I’m not buying it”.

The key pattern with opinions: affirmative vs. negative

Expression	What you communicate	Mood after “que”
Creo / Pienso / Opino / Me parece que…	I take it as (basically) true	Indicative
No creo / No pienso / No opino / No me parece que…	I don’t accept it as true	Subjunctive

Creo que la prensa informa con rigor. (I’m treating it as fact.)
No creo que la noticia sea objetiva. (I’m not sure / I doubt it.)

A quick “switch test” (to self-check)

Take one sentence and flip it from affirmative to negative. The verb after que should usually switch mood.

Creo que el titular es neutral. → No creo que el titular sea neutral.
Me parece que la fuente es fiable. → No me parece que la fuente sea fiable.

Common trap: translating English “I don’t think…” too literally

In English, “I don’t think…” is often just a polite opinion. In Spanish, it still counts as negation → typically subjunctive.

~~No creo que es neutral.~~ ✅ No creo que sea neutral.
~~No me parece que es fiable.~~ ✅ No me parece que sea fiable.

“Absolutely / totally / truly”: what they do (and what they don’t)

Words like absolutamente, totalmente, verdaderamente intensify the speaker’s stance.

Structure	Meaning	Mood
Es absolutamente cierto que…	Maximum certainty	Indicative
No es absolutamente cierto que… / Dudo que…	Certainty is removed	Subjunctive

Es absolutamente cierto que va a la presentación.
No es absolutamente cierto que vaya a la presentación.
Dudo que eso sea verdaderamente necesario.

Mini checklist before you choose indicative or subjunctive

Find the trigger: creo/penso/opino/me parece; no creo…; dudo…; es cierto…
Ask: Am I presenting it as true (for me)?
If yes → indicative. If no / not sure / denied → subjunctive.
Check the verb form: es ↔ sea, tiene ↔ tenga, viene ↔ venga, va ↔ vaya.

What you should pay attention to in real conversation

Listen for no + opinion verb: no creo / no me parece → expect subjunctive.
If you want to sound more diplomatic, Spanish still follows the rule: No creo que sea…
When you want to sound firm, use affirmative + indicative: Creo que es…

Speaker certainty ⭢ indicative
Doubt or negation ⭢ subjunctive
The verbs creer, pensar, decir express opinions or facts and use the indicative in the affirmative ("Creo que viene") and the subjunctive in the negative ("No creo que venga").

Expresiones	Uso	Ejemplos
Creer / Pensar / Opinar / Parecer	Opinión positiva (Positive opinion) indicativo (indicative)	Creo que la presa informa con rigor. (I think the press reports rigorously.)
No creer / No pensar / No opinar / No parecer	Opinión negativa (Negative opinion) subjuntivo (subjunctive)	No pienso que la noticia sea objetiva. (I don’t think the news story is objective.)
Absolutamente / Totalmente / Verdaderamente	Hechos reales, ciertos (Real, certain facts) indicativo (indicative) Duda, negación (Doubt, negation) subjuntivo (subjunctive)	Es absolutamente cierto que va a la presentación. (It is absolutely certain that he/she is going* to the presentation.) Dudo que eso sea* Verdaderamente necesario. (I doubt that that is truly necessary.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. No creo que este titular ___ neutral; parece bastante sensacionalista.

2. Creo que la prensa local ___ bien sobre la actualidad del barrio.

3. No pensamos que el bulo ___ solo: alguien lo comparte en redes.

4. No me parece que la fuente ___ fiable; no ha verificado los datos.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences by changing the expression of opinion/certainty to use the indicative or subjunctive correctly (e.g.: “Creo que viene” → “No creo que venga”).

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Creo que esta noticia es objetiva.

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
No creo que esta noticia sea objetiva.
(I don't think this news is objective.)
No pienso que el periodista tenga buenas fuentes.

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Pienso que el periodista tiene buenas fuentes.
(I think the journalist has good sources.)
Me parece que el informe está bien explicado.

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
No me parece que el informe esté bien explicado.
(It doesn't seem to me that the report is well explained.)
No opinamos que la rueda de prensa sea útil.

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Opinamos que la rueda de prensa es útil.
(We think the press conference is useful.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence.