confundí

Confundí is the first-person singular preterite (pretérito simple) form of the Spanish verb confundir. It expresses a completed action in the past in which the subject mixed up, mistook, or confused something or someone. The verb confundir comes from Latin confundere, formed by con- "together" and fundere "to pour," a lineage that contributed to senses related to blending or puzzling.

Usage and meanings

Confundí can take a direct object to show what was mixed up or mistaken: Confundí las palabras (I mixed up the words); Confundí a los dos candidatos con respecto a su experiencia (I confused the two candidates). It can also be used with prepositional phrases to indicate what was confused with what: Confundí su nombre con el de su hermano (I confused his name with his brother’s). In reflexive use, Me confundí means I got confused or I misled myself by mistake: Me confundí al leer las instrucciones (I got confused while reading the instructions).

Grammatical notes

The full conjugation in the preterite is: yo confundí, tú confundiste, él/ella confundió, nosotros confundimos, vosotros confundisteis, ellos confundieron. Confundir is distinct from confundirse; the latter is reflexive and often emphasizes personal confusion or perillous mistaking oneself, producing phrases like Me confundí o Me equivoqué. The imperfect confundía expresses habitual or ongoing confusion in the past.

Related terms and nuances

Confundir, in its base form, broadly means to confuse, mix up, or mistake. It can be used in contexts ranging from mixing up objects to mistaken identifications, sometimes overlapping with engañar (to deceive) but with different emphasis. The preposition con is commonly used to show what something is confused with: confundir X con Y.