Confundir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb confundir means to confuse, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Confundir means to confuse or to mix up, and it covers confusing two people, confusing a date, and confusing a word with another: confundir a los gemelos, confundir la fecha. It is a regular -ir verb, and its reflexive partner confundirse means to get confused yourself. Like every Spanish verb, confundir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say confundo a los gemelos en clase, and in the preterite you say confundí una palabra con otra. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: confundir
- English: to confuse
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: confundiendo
- Past participle: confundido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + confundido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for confundir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Confundir is regular: confundí, confundía, confundiré. Confundir a los gemelos is to mix the twins up.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for confundir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | confundo |
| tú | confundes |
| él/ella/Ud. | confunde |
| nosotros/as | confundimos |
| vosotros/as | confundís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confunden |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | confundí |
| tú | confundiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | confundió |
| nosotros/as | confundimos |
| vosotros/as | confundisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | confundía |
| tú | confundías |
| él/ella/Ud. | confundía |
| nosotros/as | confundíamos |
| vosotros/as | confundíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | confundiré |
| tú | confundirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | confundirá |
| nosotros/as | confundiremos |
| vosotros/as | confundiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | confundiría |
| tú | confundirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | confundiría |
| nosotros/as | confundiríamos |
| vosotros/as | confundiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he confundido |
| tú | has confundido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha confundido |
| nosotros/as | hemos confundido |
| vosotros/as | habéis confundido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han confundido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había confundido |
| tú | habías confundido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había confundido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos confundido |
| vosotros/as | habíais confundido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían confundido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré confundido |
| tú | habrás confundido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá confundido |
| nosotros/as | habremos confundido |
| vosotros/as | habréis confundido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán confundido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría confundido |
| tú | habrías confundido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría confundido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos confundido |
| vosotros/as | habríais confundido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían confundido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | confunda |
| tú | confundas |
| él/ella/Ud. | confunda |
| nosotros/as | confundamos |
| vosotros/as | confundáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | confundiera |
| tú | confundieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | confundiera |
| nosotros/as | confundiéramos |
| vosotros/as | confundierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | confunde |
| él/ella/Ud. | confunda |
| nosotros/as | confundamos |
| vosotros/as | confundid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | confundas |
| él/ella/Ud. | confunda |
| nosotros/as | confundamos |
| vosotros/as | confundáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | confundan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | confundiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy confundiendo |
| Past participle | confundido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he confundido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Confundo a los gemelos en clase. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, confundí la fecha del examen. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, confundía una palabra con otra. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, confundiré a María con su hermana. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Confundiría a los gemelos en clase si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he confundido la fecha del examen. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había confundido una palabra con otra antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré confundido a María con su hermana. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría confundido a los gemelos en clase con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él confunda la fecha del examen. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él confundiera una palabra con otra, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Confunde a María con su hermana! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For confundir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No confundas a los gemelos en clase. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with confundir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Confundo a los gemelos en clase. — I confuse the twins in class.
- Confunde la fecha del examen. — He/she confuses the date of the exam.
- Ayer, confundí una palabra con otra. — Yesterday, I confused one word with another.
- Antes, nosotros confundíamos a María con su hermana. — Before, we used to confuse María with her sister.
- Mañana, tú confundirás a los gemelos en clase. — Tomorrow, you will confuse the twins in class.
- Yo confundiría la fecha del examen si tuviera más tiempo. — I would confuse the date of the exam if I had more time.
- Él ha confundido una palabra con otra. — He has confused one word with another.
- Espero que él confunda a María con su hermana. — I hope he confuses María with her sister.
- Yo ya había confundido a los gemelos en clase antes de salir. — I had already confused the twins in class before leaving.
- Ellos confundían la fecha del examen cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to confuse the date of the exam when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo confunde a los gemelos en clase. — Right: Yo confundo a los gemelos en clase. — The person matters: confunde is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is confundo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo confundo la fecha del examen. — Right: Ayer yo confundí la fecha del examen. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: confundo is happening now, while confundí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating confundir and confundirse as identical in every context. — Right: Confundir means to confuse, while confundirse means to get confused. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: confundir fits sentences such as Confundo a los gemelos en clase, while confundirse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy confundido la fecha del examen. — Right: Yo he confundido la fecha del examen. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he confundido, has confundido, ha confundido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo confundí una palabra con otra todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo confundía una palabra con otra todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (confundía), not the preterite. The preterite (confundí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on confundir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los gemelos en clase. (present tense) A. confundo B. confundes C. confunde D. confundimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la fecha del examen. (preterite) A. confundí B. confundiste C. confundimos D. confundió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ una palabra con otra. (imperfect) A. confundías B. confundo C. confundíamos D. confundía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a María con su hermana. (future) A. confundiremos B. confundirás C. confundiré D. confundirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los gemelos en clase si pudiera. (conditional) A. confundiría B. confundirías C. confundiríamos D. confundo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la fecha del examen. (present subjunctive) A. confundas B. confundamos C. confundo D. confunda
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una palabra con otra, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. confundiéramos B. confundo C. confundiera D. confundieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a María con su hermana. (present perfect) A. ha confundido B. hemos confundido C. he confundido D. has confundido
Complete the command: ¡___ a los gemelos en clase! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. confunde B. confunda C. confundamos D. confundid
Which is the gerund of confundir, used with estar for the progressive? A. confundido B. confundo C. confundí D. confundiendo
Answer key
- confundo — The yo present tense of confundir is confundo.
- confundió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of confundir is confundió.
- confundíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of confundir is confundíamos.
- confundirás — The tú future of confundir is confundirás.
- confundiría — The yo conditional of confundir is confundiría.
- confunda — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of confundir is confunda.
- confundiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of confundir is confundiera.
- hemos confundido — The nosotros/as present perfect of confundir is hemos confundido.
- confunde — The affirmative tú imperative of confundir is confunde.
- confundiendo — The gerund of confundir is confundiendo: estoy confundiendo. The participle confundido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does confundir mean in English?
Confundir means to confuse. It is used in everyday situations such as Confundo a los gemelos en clase. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is confundir regular or irregular?
Confundir is a fully regular -ir verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including confundo in the present and confundí in the preterite.
What is the difference between confundir and confundirse?
Confundir means to confuse, while confundirse means to get confused. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use confundir when you mean to confuse, as in Confundo a los gemelos en clase, and use confundirse for to get confused. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I confuse” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo confundí la fecha del examen. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo confundía una palabra con otra. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he confundido la fecha del examen.
How do I practise confundir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the confundir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Confundir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for confundir.
- Confundir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for confundir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Concluir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with confundir.
- Consentir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with confundir.
- Compartir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with confundir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.