he couldn't believe vs he couldn't believe it

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'He couldn't believe' is typically used when the following information or action is implied or understood without being explicitly stated. On the other hand, 'he couldn't believe it' is used when there is a specific event or situation that the person couldn't believe.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 3370 views

he couldn't believe

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when the following information or action is implied or understood without being explicitly stated.

This phrase is used when the context makes it clear what the person couldn't believe, even though it is not explicitly mentioned.

Show examples from the web [+]

The whole way to the hospital, he couldn't believe it was him who did it.
He couldn't believe what he'd just gone and done.
He couldn't believe how comfortable you were being naked around him.
He couldn't believe it hadn't happened already.
He couldn't believe the court case had gone against him, none of us could.
He couldn't believe, could absolutely not believe, that l had coloured musicians staying in this hotel.
When he heard about his new tenant, he called me right away 'cause he couldn't believe it.
Over and over, as if he couldn't believe it.
In Hee gave him everything, but I didn't, so he said he couldn't believe that he could marry this girl.
He couldn't believe I had the courage to walk away.
He couldn't believe I had the courage to walk away.
Bled out, looking up at me right in the eyes, almost like he couldn't believe it.

Alternatives:

he couldn't believe what he was hearing
he couldn't believe what he had done

he couldn't believe it

This phrase is also correct and commonly used in English when there is a specific event or situation that the person couldn't believe.

This phrase is used when there is a clear event or situation that the person couldn't believe, and 'it' refers to that specific thing.

Show examples from the web [+]

The whole way to the hospital, he couldn't believe it was him who did it.
When he heard about his new tenant, he called me right away 'cause he couldn't believe it.
Over and over, as if he couldn't believe it.
He couldn't believe it hadn't happened already.
Bled out, looking up at me right in the eyes, almost like he couldn't believe it.
He still couldn't believe it had really happened.
He couldn't believe I had the courage to walk away.
He couldn't believe I had the courage to walk away.
He couldn't believe what he'd just gone and done.
He couldn't believe how comfortable you were being naked around him.
He couldn't believe the court case had gone against him, none of us could.
He couldn't believe, could absolutely not believe, that l had coloured musicians staying in this hotel.
People couldn't believe it because it was so different.
I couldn't believe it, but he was there.
Couldn't believe it when I read about it.
Then I got here, and I couldn't believe it.
And that was three years ago... so... I actually couldn't believe it before you.
We couldn't believe it hadn't been turned into a musical.
When Stan called me, I couldn't believe it.
Even we couldn't believe it.

Alternatives:

he couldn't believe what had happened
he couldn't believe the news

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

he couldn't believe vs he couldn't believe it