Spanish Conversation · Level 18
90 words
Spanish word
malentendido
Pronunciation
IPA/malentenˈdiðo/
Meaning
- masculine nounmisunderstanding
Example
Hubo un malentendido sobre la hora de la reunión.
There was a misunderstanding about the meeting time.
More examples
Aclaramos el malentendido con un mensaje breve.
We cleared up the misunderstanding with a brief message.
Core concept
Listener interpreting a speaker's message incorrectly.
Common phrases
evitar un malentendido
prevent a misunderstanding
resolver un malentendido
clear up a misunderstanding
un malentendido entre colegas
a misunderstanding among colleagues
Similar words
malinterpretación: Misreading of the communicator's meaning that alters the intended message.
confusión: Feeling of bewilderment about a situation due to missing or conflicting information.
equívoco: Misunderstanding that arises from expressions that are vague or have more than one meaning.
Definition in Spanish
Percepción equivocada de la intención o del significado de un mensaje por parte del receptor.
Word origin
From Spanish mal- "bad" plus entendido, the past participle of entender, literally "badly understood" and so used as a noun for an occasion when a message is received incorrectly.
Usage tips
- Often used with hubo or tener to report a communication mix-up, and it emphasizes the receiver's mistaken perception rather than a problem with the facts.
Other meanings
- misconceptionnoun
- miscommunicationnoun
Opposites
- entendimientounderstandingnoun
- claridadclaritynoun
Related words
- malentendermisunderstandverb
- malentendimientomisunderstandingnoun