Spanish Conversation · Level 138
44 words
Spanish word
malentender
Pronunciation
IPA/malentenˈdeɾ/
Meaning
- verbmisunderstand
Example
No quiero que me malentiendas.
I don't want you to misunderstand me.
More examples
A veces malentendemos mensajes breves por falta de contexto.
Sometimes we misunderstand short messages for lack of context.
Core concept
Mistaking someone's intention or feelings.
Common phrases
malentender a alguien
misunderstand someone
malentender una broma
misunderstand a joke
Similar words
malinterpretar: Misinterprets words or expressions.
confundir: Confuses different things or ideas, mixing them up.
interpretar: Interprets words or situations by assigning meaning.
equivocarse: Makes an error in judgment or action.
Definition in Spanish
Entender mal lo que alguien dice o siente, llegar a una conclusión equivocada sobre su intención.
Word origin
A compound of Spanish mal 'bad' and entender 'to understand', with entender ultimately from Latin intendere, and malentender expresses forming a wrong conclusion about someone's intent.
Usage tips
- Malentender typically refers to misreading a person's feelings or intent, while malinterpretar is more common for misinterpreting statements or facts.
Other meanings
- get the wrong ideaverb
Opposites
- entenderunderstandverb
- comprendercomprehendverb
Related words
- malentendidomisunderstandingnoun
- malentendimientomisunderstandingnoun