me equivoqué
/me ekiboke/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "I was wrong" is me equivoqué.
me equivoqué is a phrase used to admit that you have made a mistake or were incorrect about something.
Which one should you use?
me equivoqué focuses on a specific instance of being wrong. In contrast, estaba equivocado can be used to describe a continuous state of being wrong in the past.
How does it change in a sentence?
me equivoqué is in the preterite tense, which indicates a completed action in the past. If you change the verb to the present tense, me equivoco, the meaning shifts to "I am wrong" or "I make mistakes".
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use estaba equivocado as the only way to say "I was wrong", but me equivoqué is much more common when admitting a specific error.
Did you know?
- Unlike English, which uses the adjective 'wrong' for both mistakes and immoral acts, equivocado is almost exclusively for errors of fact and not for 'wrongdoing' in a moral sense.
- In some regions, saying me equivoqué can be seen as too formal, leading people to use la regué to express that they messed up.
- The verb equivocarse shares a root with equívoco, which refers to an ambiguity or a double meaning that can lead to confusion.
Examples in context
- Admito que me equivoqué.I admit that I was wrong.Tatoeba #1778431 by Shishir, translation #1768245 by CM
- Lo reconozco, me equivoqué.I admit it. I was wrong.Tatoeba #1017582 by Shishir, translation #1436395 by CK
- Me equivoqué acerca de mí mismo.I was wrong about myself.Tatoeba #1446409 by marcelostockle, translation #1446416 by marcelostockle
- Perdón, me equivoqué en el informe que te entregué. Lamentablemente, cometí un error en los cálculos. Lo corregiré de inmediato.I'm sorry, I was wrong in the report I handed you. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the calculations. I will correct it immediately.
- Mis disculpas, cometí un error al interpretar tus instrucciones. No fue intencional, y estoy dispuesto(a) a arreglarlo. Trabajaré para solucionarlo prontamente.I apologize, I made a mistake in interpreting your instructions. It was not intentional, and I am willing to fix it. I will work to resolve it promptly.
- Amigo, lamento lo sucedido. Me equivoqué al no llegar a tiempo a nuestra cita. Perdóname, no volverá a ocurrir.Friend, I'm sorry about what happened. I was wrong not to arrive on time for our meeting. Forgive me, it won't happen again.
- Chicos, lo siento mucho. Metí la pata al hablar en ese momento inapropiado. ¡Vaya metedura de pata! No sé en qué estaba pensando.Guys, I'm really sorry. I messed up by speaking at that inappropriate moment. What a blunder! I don't know what I was thinking.
- Perdóname, hermano. Me equivoqué al decir esas cosas. No quería lastimarte, y ahora me arrepiento. Espero que podamos superarlo juntos.Forgive me, brother. I was wrong to say those things. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I regret it now. I hope we can overcome this together.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are discussing a mistake regarding a restaurant reservation.
- AlejandroLo siento, me equivoqué con la reserva.I'm sorry, I was wrong about the reservation.
- María¿En serio? Pensé que era a las ocho.Really? I thought it was at eight.
- AlejandroSí, me equivoqué con la hora.Yes, I was wrong about the time.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, no pasa nada.Don't worry, it's okay.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
