te engañaron
/te enɡaɲaɾon/from spelling rules
The phrase 'someone cheated on you' in Spanish is te engañaron.
This phrase is used to express that a romantic partner has been unfaithful to you by having a secret relationship with another person. The plural form te engañaron is commonly used when the identity of the cheater is unknown or when you want to avoid naming the specific person, functioning similarly to the English 'someone cheated on you'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te engañaron is literally 'they deceived you', where te means 'you' and engañaron is the third-person plural past tense of engañar, which means 'to deceive' or 'to cheat'.
Which one should you use?
While te engañaron uses the plural form to refer to an unspecified 'someone', you can use the singular form te engañó if you want to specify that a single person (he or she) cheated on you.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify that a single person (he or she) performed the action, use the singular form te engañó instead of the plural te engañaron.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/te enɡaɲaɾon/'}
Did you know?
- In many Latin American countries, you might hear the slang term poner el cuerno to describe being cheated on. This translates literally to 'to put the horn on', referring to the imagery of a person being cuckolded.
- The term poner los cuernos is part of a wider European tradition, as similar 'horn' metaphors for infidelity exist in French, Italian and Portuguese.
- Someone who has been cheated on is sometimes called cornudo or cornuda, referring back to the 'horns' of betrayal.
Examples in context
- Necesito hablar sobre un tema delicado. Alguien me fue infiel.I need to talk about a delicate matter. Someone was unfaithful to me.
- No te imaginas lo que me ha pasado. Me pusieron los cuernos y estoy devastado/a.You can't imagine what has happened to me. They cheated on me and I am devastated.
- Estimada Consejera, necesito su ayuda. Alguien me fue infiel y estoy buscando orientación para superarlo.Dear Counselor, I need your help. Someone was unfaithful to me and I am looking for guidance to overcome it.
- Hola amiga, te tengo que contar algo. Me pusieron los cuernos y no sé cómo lidiar con esto.Hello friend, I have to tell you something. They cheated on me and I don't know how to deal with this.
- No llores más, te engañaron.Don't cry anymore, they cheated on you.
- ¿Estás seguro de que te engañaron?Are you sure that someone cheated on you?
Example conversation
Lucía is comforting Daniel after a breakup.
- LucíaDaniel, me enteré de que te engañaron.Daniel, I found out that someone cheated on you.
- DanielSí, Lucía, fue un golpe muy duro.Yes, Lucía, it was a very hard blow.
- LucíaTú mereces a alguien que sea honesto.You deserve someone who is honest.
- DanielGracias por tu apoyo en esto.Thank you for your support in this.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
