June 27, 2025 • 8 mins
I believe you like learning English, don’t you. In this case, I believe has the same meaning as I think. I’m pretty sure you like English. Believe me, if that’s true, I believe you’re gonna love this English lesson.
Today, let's look at the difference between believe, believe in, and trust. These little words come up all the time in conversations, and even though they seem pretty similar, they each have their own flavor, their own feeling.
Join my Podcast Learner's Study Group here: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/transcript
Visit my website for over 3,000 free English lessons: https://www.myhappyenglish.com/
Today, let's look at the difference between believe, believe in, and trust. These little words come up all the time in conversations, and even though they seem pretty similar, they each have their own flavor, their own feeling.
Join my Podcast Learner's Study Group here: https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/transcript
Visit my website for over 3,000 free English lessons: https://www.myhappyenglish.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I believe you like learning English, don't you? In this case,
I believe has the same meaning as I think. I'm
pretty sure you like English. Believe me. If that's true,
I believe you're gonna love this English lesson.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
All right, thank you, John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast Episode eight thirty seven.
Do you Believe?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Hello?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
And welcome thanks for joining me for another episode of
the Happy English Podcast. I'm your English teacher, Michael, and
I'm so glad you're here with me. Last week, one
of my students asked me about the difference between believe,
believe in, and trust. I thought that would be a
(01:13):
great topic to go through here on the podcast. These
little words come up all the time in conversations, and
even though they seem pretty similar, each one has their
own flavor, their own feeling. So let's break it down.
(01:33):
Let's start with just believe. You can say something like
I believe you. It means I think you're telling the truth.
I don't think you're lying to me, I believe your story,
your words, your version of what happened. Let me give
(01:53):
you an example conversation. Hey, Jake's told me he saw
a bit while hiking near his house. Really, yeah, it
sounds crazy, but I believe him. He practically lives in
the woods. I believe him. So here, you're not saying
(02:15):
you trust Jake with your life or anything deep like that.
You're just saying, I believe that what he's saying is true.
Now what if we say I believe that story. It's
the same idea. You're saying that you think the story
is true, even if it sounds a little wild. Like
(02:38):
I read this story about a guy who drove his
cart into a lake and somehow survived. It sounded unbelievable,
but I believe it. I believe it. You're accepting it
as true, not because you saw it yourself, but because
(02:59):
it just feels believable enough. Right now, let's go deeper
with the word trust. This one is not just about truth.
It's about character. It's about someone's actions and whether they'll
(03:20):
do what they say they're going to do. So when
you say I trust you, it's a little more serious
than I believe you. When you say I believe you.
Remember you're telling someone I believe that what you say
is true. But when you tell someone I trust you,
(03:43):
you're saying I know you'll do the right thing. I
trust you means I'm sure you will do as you
said or do as you promised. Let me show you
an example with the difference. I believe you when you
say you'll do your homework by tomorrow, and I trust
(04:06):
you to do your homework by yourself. You see that
one is about truth. The other is about faith in
someone's behavior. And here's the thing. If someone lies to
you or breaks a promise, it's really hard to trust
them again. Trust takes time to build, but it can
(04:30):
disappear fast. Okay, now here's a different version of belief
that's really common and kind of poetic. Believe in. We
use believe in when we're talking about faith, hope, or
even things we can't prove. So if you say I
(04:51):
believe in God, I believe in aliens, you're saying I
believe they exist even if I've no ever seen them.
Some people say I believe in ghosts. Others say I
believe in karma. It's about your faith in things that
(05:12):
are invisible, but they are real to you. I believe
in that. And finally we have I believe in you. Yeah,
I believe in you. That's a powerful thing to say.
I believe in you means I have faith in your ability.
(05:36):
I believe that you can do this. Like picture this
little scene, the husband says, I've decided to quit my
job and start a pizza shop, to which his wife says, oh,
I believe in you, honey. She's not just saying I
believe you. She's saying, I believe you can do this.
(06:00):
You've got what it takes. It's such a kind, supportive phrase,
and it can mean a lot to someone who's nervous
or unsure. Okay, so let's recap what we talked about.
I believe you means I'm sure you're telling the truth.
(06:21):
I trust you means I know you'll follow through on
your words or promises. I believe in something means I
have faith in something I can't see. And I believe
in you means I believe you can do this. I
(06:41):
support you. All Right, that's it for today. I hope
this helped clear up some of the small but important
differences between believe, believe in, and trust If you liked
this episode, tell a friend, leave a review, or say hey,
I believe in you Michael, thanks for listening, and I'll
(07:05):
catch you in the next episode. Keep in mind, the
best way to remember English like this and any other
word or phrase in English, is to take that word
or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true for
you or true in your world, and then memorize your sentences.
(07:25):
Believe me, that's the best way to remember this kind
of English. And hey, check this out. Do you want
to have more practice using your English, then you should
think about joining my podcast Learner's study group. There you
can make new friends, join us for live group lessons
every week where we practice these podcast lessons together. Plus
(07:50):
you get access to the PDF, transcript and audio download
for every Happy English podcast in the past and in
the future. And on top of that, each episode has
exercises where you can practice this English point with speaking
and writing checked by me. To learn more, just visit
(08:11):
Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson eight thirty seven. Remember,
learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible,
and I'm here to help you on your journey.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
This podcast is brought to you by Happy English Please
visit Myhappy english dot com. Show your support for Happy
English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.
I believe you like learning English, don't you? In this case,
I believe has the same meaning as I think. I'm
pretty sure you like English. Believe me. If that's true,
I believe you're gonna love this English lesson.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
All right, thank you, John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast Episode eight thirty seven.
Do you Believe?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Hello?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
And welcome thanks for joining me for another episode of
the Happy English Podcast. I'm your English teacher, Michael, and
I'm so glad you're here with me. Last week, one
of my students asked me about the difference between believe,
believe in, and trust. I thought that would be a
(01:13):
great topic to go through here on the podcast. These
little words come up all the time in conversations, and
even though they seem pretty similar, each one has their
own flavor, their own feeling. So let's break it down.
(01:33):
Let's start with just believe. You can say something like
I believe you. It means I think you're telling the truth.
I don't think you're lying to me, I believe your story,
your words, your version of what happened. Let me give
(01:53):
you an example conversation. Hey, Jake's told me he saw
a bit while hiking near his house. Really, yeah, it
sounds crazy, but I believe him. He practically lives in
the woods. I believe him. So here, you're not saying
(02:15):
you trust Jake with your life or anything deep like that.
You're just saying, I believe that what he's saying is true.
Now what if we say I believe that story. It's
the same idea. You're saying that you think the story
is true, even if it sounds a little wild. Like
(02:38):
I read this story about a guy who drove his
cart into a lake and somehow survived. It sounded unbelievable,
but I believe it. I believe it. You're accepting it
as true, not because you saw it yourself, but because
(02:59):
it just feels believable enough. Right now, let's go deeper
with the word trust. This one is not just about truth.
It's about character. It's about someone's actions and whether they'll
(03:20):
do what they say they're going to do. So when
you say I trust you, it's a little more serious
than I believe you. When you say I believe you.
Remember you're telling someone I believe that what you say
is true. But when you tell someone I trust you,
(03:43):
you're saying I know you'll do the right thing. I
trust you means I'm sure you will do as you
said or do as you promised. Let me show you
an example with the difference. I believe you when you
say you'll do your homework by tomorrow, and I trust
(04:06):
you to do your homework by yourself. You see that
one is about truth. The other is about faith in
someone's behavior. And here's the thing. If someone lies to
you or breaks a promise, it's really hard to trust
them again. Trust takes time to build, but it can
(04:30):
disappear fast. Okay, now here's a different version of belief
that's really common and kind of poetic. Believe in. We
use believe in when we're talking about faith, hope, or
even things we can't prove. So if you say I
(04:51):
believe in God, I believe in aliens, you're saying I
believe they exist even if I've no ever seen them.
Some people say I believe in ghosts. Others say I
believe in karma. It's about your faith in things that
(05:12):
are invisible, but they are real to you. I believe
in that. And finally we have I believe in you. Yeah,
I believe in you. That's a powerful thing to say.
I believe in you means I have faith in your ability.
(05:36):
I believe that you can do this. Like picture this
little scene, the husband says, I've decided to quit my
job and start a pizza shop, to which his wife says, oh,
I believe in you, honey. She's not just saying I
believe you. She's saying, I believe you can do this.
(06:00):
You've got what it takes. It's such a kind, supportive phrase,
and it can mean a lot to someone who's nervous
or unsure. Okay, so let's recap what we talked about.
I believe you means I'm sure you're telling the truth.
(06:21):
I trust you means I know you'll follow through on
your words or promises. I believe in something means I
have faith in something I can't see. And I believe
in you means I believe you can do this. I
(06:41):
support you. All Right, that's it for today. I hope
this helped clear up some of the small but important
differences between believe, believe in, and trust If you liked
this episode, tell a friend, leave a review, or say hey,
I believe in you Michael, thanks for listening, and I'll
(07:05):
catch you in the next episode. Keep in mind, the
best way to remember English like this and any other
word or phrase in English, is to take that word
or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true for
you or true in your world, and then memorize your sentences.
(07:25):
Believe me, that's the best way to remember this kind
of English. And hey, check this out. Do you want
to have more practice using your English, then you should
think about joining my podcast Learner's study group. There you
can make new friends, join us for live group lessons
every week where we practice these podcast lessons together. Plus
(07:50):
you get access to the PDF, transcript and audio download
for every Happy English podcast in the past and in
the future. And on top of that, each episode has
exercises where you can practice this English point with speaking
and writing checked by me. To learn more, just visit
(08:11):
Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson eight thirty seven. Remember,
learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible,
and I'm here to help you on your journey.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
This podcast is brought to you by Happy English Please
visit Myhappy english dot com. Show your support for Happy
English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.
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