confondre

Confondre is a French verb that means to confuse, to mix up, or to mistake one person or thing for another. It is used transitively with a direct object, most often in expressions such as confondre quelqu’un avec quelqu’un d’autre (to mistake someone for someone else). The reflexive form se confondre with is also common and describes something blending in or being indistinguishable from something else, as in se confondre avec la foule (to blend in with the crowd).

Etymology and range: confondre comes from Latin confundere, literally “to pour together” or “to mix,” from con- “together” and fundere “to pour.” In modern French, the verb covers mistaken identity, confusion of ideas, and the act of mixing things or concepts, as in confondre la cause et l’effet (to confuse cause and effect).

Usage notes: The core sense is mistake or confusion regarding identity, but confondre is also used for confusing or conflating ideas, terms, or distinctions. Common constructions include confondre X avec Y (to confuse X with Y) and se confondre avec X (to blend in with X or to be indistinguishable from X). Differences from synonyms: confondre expresses mistaken identity or conflation, while mélanger emphasizes mixing physically or conceptually without necessarily implying error.

Conjugation overview: present je confonds, tu confonds, il confond, nous confondons, vous confondez, ils confondent. Passé composé j’ai confondu; imparfait confondais; futur confondrai. Subjonctif présent que je confonde, que tu confondes, qu’il confonde, que nous confondions, que vous confondiez, qu’ils confondent.

Examples: “Il m’a confondu avec mon frère.” “Je me suis confondu avec les autres passants.” “Ne confonds pas le nécessaire et le superflu.”