ich bin verwirrt
The German phrase for "I am confused" is ich bin verwirrt.
ich bin verwirrt is used as a statement when someone feels unable to think clearly or when they understand something incorrectly.
What does it mean word for word?
The word verwirrt is the past participle of verwirren, which literally means to throw into a whirl or to tangle/entangle.
Which one should you use?
Use ich bin verwirrt to describe a general state of mental confusion. If your confusion is specifically about a piece of information, it is more common to use Ich verstehe das nicht (I don't understand that).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this phrase with the verb sein, the adjective verwirrt does not change its form based on the gender or number of the person who is confused.
Did you know?
- In German, Verwirrung (confusion) can be used to describe a chaotic situation or a physical mess, not just a mental state.
- The word bin is a cognate of the Dutch word ben and the Old English word bēom.
- While ich bin verwirrt is a statement, Germans might use the related verb verwirren to describe the act of 'muddling' someone's thoughts through complex explanations.
Examples in context
- Ich bin verwirrt.I am confused.Tatoeba #683852 by samueldora, translation #1419348 by zgarbas
- Ich bin verwirrt: warum hat sie Schluss gemacht?I am confused: why did she break up?Tatoeba #14031902 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #14031904 by Ioan_Cristian
- Es tut mir leid, ich bin etwas verwirrt.I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused.
- Entschuldigung, ich habe Schwierigkeiten, das zu verstehen.Sorry, I'm having difficulty understanding that.
- Hä? Was meinst du?Huh? What do you mean?
- Ich bin verwirrt durch diese neuen Regeln.I am confused by these new rules.
Example conversation
Hannah and Lukas are looking at a map together.
- HannahWo sind wir eigentlich gerade?Where actually are we right now?
- LukasIch glaube, wir müssen links abbiegen.I think we have to turn left.
- HannahIch bin verwirrt, das sieht nicht richtig aus.I am confused, that doesn't look right.
- LukasDann schauen wir lieber noch einmal genau hin.Then we should probably take another closer look.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bin, ich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
