enganar

Enganar is a verb used in Spanish (engañar) and Portuguese (enganar) meaning to deceive, mislead, or trick someone, and sometimes to fool oneself (engañarse). It implies intentionality, contrasting with mere error or unintentional confusion.

Etymology and usage context: The verb belongs to the Iberian Romance family and is attested in medieval texts in both languages. In everyday speech, it governs a direct object with a person or group (engañar a/alguien; engañar a alguém) and can also appear in reflexive form to indicate self-deception (engañarse).

Conjugation and forms: In Spanish, engañar is a regular -ar verb. Present indicative forms include engaño, engañas, engaña, engañamos, engañáis, engañan. Preterite forms include engañé, engañaste, engañó, engañamos, engañasteis, engañaron. In Portuguese, enganar follows regular -ar conjugation: present engano, enganas, engana, enganamos, enganais, enganam; pretérito perfeito enganei, enganaste, enganou, enganámos, enganastes, engañaram. Reflexive forms exist in both languages (engañarse/engañar-se) to denote being mistaken or deceived.

Nouns and related terms: The noun engano (or engaño) denotes a deception, trick, or hoax; engañador/engañador refers to a deceiver. Related verbs include mentir (to lie) and false friends such as engano versus error (misconception).

Usage notes: Engañar emphasizes deception with intent, while situations of mistaken belief may use different terms in context. It appears in a wide range of contexts, from personal deceit to scams, frauds, or misleading information.

See also: engaño, engañar a alguien, mentir, fraude.