Equivocarse Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
equivocarse means "to make a mistake" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows equivocarse in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of equivocarse, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with equivocarse
Making a mistake
Equivocarse means to make a mistake: me equivoco en la respuesta. It is the standard verb for errors of every kind, from exams to phone numbers.
- Cada día, yo me equivoco en la respuesta del examen. — "Every day, I make a mistake in the exam answer."
- Hoy, él / ella se equivoca de número de teléfono. — "Today, he / she makes a mistake with the phone number."
- Ayer, yo me equivoqué al elegir el camino. — "Yesterday, I made a mistake when choosing the road."
- Antes, yo me equivocaba con la fecha de la reunión. — "Before, I used to make a mistake with the date of the meeting."
- Mañana, yo me equivocaré en la respuesta del examen. — "Tomorrow, I will make a mistake in the exam answer."
- Hoy, yo me he equivocado de número de teléfono. — "Today, I have made a mistake with the phone number."
Choosing wrongly
Equivocarse al elegir means to choose wrongly: me equivoco al elegir el camino. It is about a wrong choice, not just a wrong answer.
- Cada día, yo me equivoco al elegir el camino. — "Every day, I make a mistake when choosing the road."
- Hoy, él / ella se equivoca con la fecha de la reunión. — "Today, he / she makes a mistake with the date of the meeting."
- Ayer, yo me equivoqué en la respuesta del examen. — "Yesterday, I made a mistake in the exam answer."
- Antes, yo me equivocaba de número de teléfono. — "Before, I used to make a mistake with the phone number."
- Mañana, yo me equivocaré al elegir el camino. — "Tomorrow, I will make a mistake when choosing the road."
- Hoy, yo me he equivocado con la fecha de la reunión. — "Today, I have made a mistake with the date of the meeting."
Equivocarse in conversation
The two dialogues below show equivocarse in natural conversation. The first is about making a mistake, and the second is about choosing wrongly. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú te equivocas en la respuesta del examen? — "Do you make a mistake in the exam answer?"
- Sí, yo me equivoco en la respuesta del examen cada día. — "Yes, I make a mistake in the exam answer every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú te equivocaste de número de teléfono? — "And yesterday? Did you make a mistake with the phone number?"
- Sí, ayer yo me equivoqué de número de teléfono. — "Yes, yesterday I made a mistake with the phone number."
- Mañana yo me equivocaré al elegir el camino también. — "Tomorrow I will make a mistake when choosing the road too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros os equivocáis al elegir el camino? — "Do you make a mistake when choosing the road?"
- Sí, nosotros nos equivocamos al elegir el camino los fines de semana. — "Yes, we make a mistake when choosing the road at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos se equivocan con la fecha de la reunión? — "And them? Do they make a mistake with the date of the meeting?"
- Sí, ellos se equivocan con la fecha de la reunión también. — "Yes, they make a mistake with the date of the meeting too."
- Mañana nosotros nos equivocaremos al elegir el camino otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will make a mistake when choosing the road again."
Common mistakes with equivocarse in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo equivoco en la respuesta.
- Right: Yo me equivoco en la respuesta.
- Why: Equivocarse is reflexive: the pronoun me is required. Without it the sentence is wrong: me equivoco, te equivocas, se equivoca.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me equivoco en número.
- Right: Me equivoco de número.
- Why: With numbers, equivocarse takes de: me equivoco de número. With answers and places, it takes en: me equivoco en la respuesta.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Equivocarse es lo mismo que fallar.
- Right: Equivocarse means to make a mistake; fallar means to fail.
- Why: Equivocarse is about a specific error. Fallar is about failing to achieve something. You can equivocar without fallar, and fallar without equivocar.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo me equivoqué en la respuesta del examen.
- Right: Cada día, yo me equivoco en la respuesta del examen.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo equivoco en la respuesta del examen.
- Right: Yo me equivoco en la respuesta del examen.
- Why: Equivocarse is reflexive: the pronoun me is required. Without it the sentence means something else, or nothing at all.
Quiz: equivocarse in use
Ten questions on equivocarse across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of equivocarse in the present tense?
- (a) se equivoca
- (b) nos equivocamos
- (c) me equivoco
- (d) te equivocas
Answer: (c) me equivoco. The i form in the present is me equivoco.
2. What is the he / she form of equivocarse in the present tense?
- (a) nos equivocamos
- (b) se equivoca
- (c) me equivoco
- (d) te equivocas
Answer: (b) se equivoca. The he / she form in the present is se equivoca.
3. What is the he / she form of equivocarse in the preterite tense?
- (a) se equivocó
- (b) me equivoqué
- (c) te equivocaste
- (d) nos equivocamos
Answer: (a) se equivocó. The he / she form in the preterite is se equivocó.
4. What is the i form of equivocarse in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me equivoco
- (b) me equivoqué
- (c) me equivocaré
- (d) me equivocaba
Answer: (d) me equivocaba. The i form in the imperfect is me equivocaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of equivocarse in the future tense?
- (a) se equivocará
- (b) nos equivocaremos
- (c) me equivocaré
- (d) te equivocarás
Answer: (c) me equivocaré. The i form in the future is me equivocaré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) equivoqué
- (b) equivocaba
- (c) equivoco
- (d) he equivocado
Answer: (d) he equivocado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he equivocado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él se ___ en la respuesta del examen.
- (a) equivocaba
- (b) equivoque
- (c) equivoca
- (d) equivocó
Answer: (b) equivoque. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: se equivoque. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of equivocarse in the present tense?
- (a) me equivoco
- (b) te equivocas
- (c) se equivoca
- (d) nos equivocamos
Answer: (d) nos equivocamos. The we form in the present is nos equivocamos.
9. What is the i form of equivocarse in the preterite tense?
- (a) se equivocó
- (b) nos equivocamos
- (c) me equivoqué
- (d) te equivocaste
Answer: (c) me equivoqué. The i form in the preterite is me equivoqué.
10. What is the they form of equivocarse in the present tense?
- (a) se equivoca
- (b) se equivocan
- (c) me equivoco
- (d) te equivocas
Answer: (b) se equivocan. The they form in the present is se equivocan.
Frequently asked questions about equivocarse
Is equivocarse reflexive?
Yes. The pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se go with the verb in every tense: me equivoco, te equivocas, se equivoca. The tables show the verb forms; add the pronoun in front.
Does equivocarse take en, de or con?
All three, in different uses: me equivoco en la respuesta, me equivoco de número, me equivoco con la fecha. The preposition depends on what kind of mistake it is.
What is the preterite of equivocarse?
Me equivoqué, te equivocaste, se equivocó. The yo form has a spelling change, qu, to keep the hard c sound: equivoqué.
How can I practise equivocarse?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.