French Conversation · Level 106
60 words
French word
confondre
Pronunciation
IPA/kɔ̃fɔ̃dʁ/
Meaning
- verbconfuse
Example
Ne confonds pas le thé avec le café.
Do not confuse tea with coffee.
More examples
On confond parfois deux frères qui se ressemblent.
People sometimes confuse two brothers who look alike.
Core concept
Two things fall into one mental pile, so their identities or properties no longer stay clearly separate.
Common phrases
confondre le thé et le café
confuse tea and coffee
confondre quelqu'un et quelqu'un d'autre
mistake one person for someone else
confondre un nom avec un autre
confuse one name with another
Similar words
se tromper: Reach a wrong decision or judgment.
prendre pour: Believe incorrectly that one person or thing is another.
mélanger: Blend things together until they cannot be told apart.
Definition in French
Attribuer à une chose les caractéristiques d'une autre; ne plus distinguer nettement deux éléments.
Word origin
The French verb confondre derives from Latin confundere, combining con- 'together' with fundere 'to pour'.
Usage tips
- The usual pattern is confondre A avec B, as in confondre le thé avec le café, where A is mistaken for B.
Other meanings
- mix upverb
- mistakeverb
Opposites
- distinguerdistinguishverb
- différencierdifferentiateverb
Related words
- confusionconfusionnoun
- confonduconfusedadjective
- inconfondableunmistakableadjective