Equivocar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
equivocar means "to mistake" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see equivocar with the date of the exam, the phone number, the address of the house and his teacher's name — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo equivoco la fecha del examen. — "Every day, I mistake the date of the exam." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
equivocar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with equivocar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo equivoco la fecha del examen. — "Every day, I mistake the date of the exam." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo equivoqué el número de teléfono. — "Yesterday, I mistook the phone number." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo equivocaba la dirección de la casa. — "In the past, I used to mistake the address of the house." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros equivocaremos el nombre de su profesora. — "Tomorrow, we will mistake his teacher's name." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú equivocarías la fecha del examen. — "If you could, you would mistake the date of the exam." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he equivocado el número de teléfono. — "I have mistaken the phone number." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él equivoca la dirección de la casa. — "Normally, he/she mistakes the address of the house." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él equivocó el nombre de su profesora. — "Yesterday, he/she mistook his teacher's name." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros equivocábamos la fecha del examen. — "In the past, we used to mistake the date of the exam." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo equivocaré el número de teléfono. — "Tomorrow, I will mistake the phone number." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él equivoque la dirección de la casa. — "I hope that he/she mistakes the address of the house." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Equivoca el nombre de su profesora! — "Mistake his teacher's name!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using equivocar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the date of the exam, the phone number, the address of the house and his teacher's name.
Dialogue 1: talking about the date of the exam
Sofía: ¿Tú equivocas la fecha del examen? — "Do you mistake the date of the exam?" Diego: Sí, yo equivoco la fecha del examen. — "I mistake the date of the exam." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo equivoqué el número de teléfono. — "Yesterday, I mistook the phone number." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros equivocaremos la dirección de la casa. — "Tomorrow, we will mistake the address of the house." Diego: Si pudiera, yo equivocaría el nombre de su profesora. — "If I could, I would mistake his teacher's name." Sofía: Antes, yo equivocaba el número de teléfono. — "In the past, I used to mistake the phone number." Diego: Yo he equivocado la fecha del examen. — "I have mistaken the date of the exam." Sofía: ¡Equivoca la dirección de la casa! — "Mistake the address of the house!"
In this dialogue equivocar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the address of the house
Sofía: Él equivoca la dirección de la casa. — "he/she mistakes the address of the house." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él equivoca la dirección de la casa todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she mistakes the address of the house every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos equivocan el nombre de su profesora. — "they mistake his teacher's name." Diego: Ayer, ellos equivocaron la dirección de la casa. — "Yesterday, they mistook the address of the house." Sofía: Espero que él equivoque el nombre de su profesora. — "I hope that he/she mistakes his teacher's name." Diego: Mañana, él equivocará la dirección de la casa. — "Tomorrow, he/she will mistake the address of the house." Sofía: Antes, nosotros equivocábamos el nombre de su profesora. — "In the past, we used to mistake his teacher's name." Diego: Nosotros equivocamos la fecha del examen también. — "we mistake the date of the exam too."
This dialogue shows equivocar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with equivocar
The errors learners actually make with equivocar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me equivoco la fecha del examen.
- Right: Yo equivoco la fecha del examen.
- Why: equivocar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo equivoco la fecha del examen. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo equivocar la fecha del examen.
- Right: Yo equivoco la fecha del examen.
- Why: The infinitive equivocar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form equivoco.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo equivoco el número de teléfono.
- Right: Ayer, yo equivoqué el número de teléfono.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo equivoqué el número de teléfono. — "Yesterday, I mistook the phone number."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy equivocado la dirección de la casa.
- Right: Estoy equivocando la dirección de la casa.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund equivocando for the progressive. The participle equivocado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he equivocado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros equivoca la fecha del examen.
- Right: Nosotros equivocamos la fecha del examen.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes equivocamos, while equivoca belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: equivocar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on equivocar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of equivocar in the present tense?
- (a) equivoco
- (b) equivocas
- (c) equivoca
- (d) equivocamos
Answer: (a) equivoco. The yo form is equivoco.
2. What is the tú form of equivocar in the present tense?
- (a) equivoco
- (b) equivoca
- (c) equivocamos
- (d) equivocas
Answer: (d) equivocas. The tú form is equivocas.
3. What is the él/ella form of equivocar in the present tense?
- (a) equivocas
- (b) equivocamos
- (c) equivoca
- (d) equivoco
Answer: (c) equivoca. The él/ella form is equivoca.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la fecha del examen.
- (a) equivocamos
- (b) equivoco
- (c) equivocas
- (d) equivoca
Answer: (b) equivoco. The sentence needs the yo form equivoco.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ el número de teléfono.
- (a) equivoqué
- (b) equivocaste
- (c) equivocó
- (d) equivocamos
Answer: (a) equivoqué. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is equivoqué.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la dirección de la casa.
- (a) equivocabas
- (b) equivocábamos
- (c) equivocabais
- (d) equivocaba
Answer: (d) equivocaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is equivocaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el nombre de su profesora.
- (a) equivocará
- (b) equivocaremos
- (c) equivocaré
- (d) equivocarás
Answer: (c) equivocaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is equivocaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la fecha del examen.
- (a) ha equivocado
- (b) hemos equivocado
- (c) he equivocado
- (d) has equivocado
Answer: (c) he equivocado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he equivocado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la dirección de la casa.
- (a) equivoque
- (b) equivoques
- (c) equivoquemos
- (d) equivoquéis
Answer: (a) equivoque. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is equivoque.
10. What does equivocar mean in English?
- (a) to mistake
- (b) to modernise
- (c) to moralise
- (d) to neutralise
Answer: (a) to mistake. equivocar means "to mistake" in English.
Frequently asked questions about equivocar
What does equivocar mean?
equivocar means "to mistake" in English. Use it when you talk about the date of the exam, the phone number, the address of the house and his teacher's name — for example: Cada día, yo equivoco la fecha del examen. — "Every day, I mistake the date of the exam."
Is there a reflexive form of equivocar?
No. equivocar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo equivoco la fecha del examen. — "Every day, I mistake the date of the exam."
What is the most common mistake with equivocar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the c becomes qu before e, so the yo preterite is equivoqué and the subjunctive forms start with qu, for example equivoque. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise equivocar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.