私達は彼を正直だと思っている。

English Translation

We believe him honest.

Why is it 彼を and not 彼が?

“AをBだと思う” is to think of A as B or to regard/consider A as B. So it would be translated as a rather emphatic “we regarded him as an honest person”. To me, it feels like there’s more intention or judgement.

私達は彼が正直だと思っている also works, but it’s a much more neutral “we think he’s honest”.

If you Googled “AをBだと思う”, I think you’ll find more discussions about this pattern.

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