összetéveszt

Összetéveszt is a Hungarian verb that translates to "to mistake," "to confuse," or "to confuse with" in English. It describes the act of misidentifying someone or something, or of associating one thing with another incorrectly. The verb is derived from the prefix "össze-" meaning "together" or "into one," and "téveszt" meaning "to err" or "to go wrong."

The core meaning of összetéveszt involves a failure in perception or judgment, leading to an incorrect association. For example, one might say "Összetévesztettem a testvéredet a bátyáddal" which means "I mistook your brother for your older brother." This indicates a visual or recognition error. It can also refer to a conceptual confusion, such as "Ne tévessze össze a barátságot a szerelemmel" meaning "Don't confuse friendship with love."

The verb can be used in various grammatical constructions. It often appears with a direct object, specifying what is being mistaken. Alternatively, it can be used with the preposition "val" or "vel" (with), indicating what something is being confused with, as in "Összetéveszti a szót a jelentésével" ("He confuses the word with its meaning"). The past, present, and future tenses are all formed according to standard Hungarian verb conjugation rules. The concept of mistaking one thing for another is a common theme across languages, and összetéveszt provides the specific Hungarian lexicalization for this action.