Confusion: equivocado, equivoca, falso, mal

[Coffee Kitten]

I came across a number of Spanish words which mean "wrong", and I don't know when to use which. These words are:


equivocado
equivoca
falso
inexacto
mal / malo

Here are some English sentences that I've translated from a textbook. The book simply recommended which word to use, but I don't understand how to make the distinction.

* Three of them are wrong.
Tres de ellos están equivocados.
(The phrase "están equivocados" was recommended; I also don't get why "estar" should be used in this case. Shouldn't it be "ser"?)

* Some firms always give wrong weights in their declarations.
Algunas empresas siempre dan pesos falsos en sus declaraciones.
(The term "inexacto" was also recommended.)

* He ordered the wrong article.
Él pidío el articulo falso.
(I just made a guess that "falso" is to be used here.)

* You are wrong.
Usted se equivoca.
(The text simply recommended to use "se equivoca." I don't understand why...)

Meanwhile, an online translator suggested "mal" or "malo."

Any help in clarifying this is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[aleCcowaN]

es correcto
está equivocado

Think of that like there's just one way (of a few) to be right and millions to be wrong, and what is wrong is in need of being corrected, so it's a temporary state. Another way to "feel it" is: correct is stable, wrong is in a state of flow.

wrong :ne: falso (fake)

Algunas empresas dan siempre pesos erróneos en sus declaraciones.

equivocarse ---> to make a mistake | to consider one thing to be another one

You are wrong (Literally: "Está/s errado" -you have considered some wrong notion to be right-) ---> Se/te equivoca/s -you are considering some wrong notion to be right- (a less abrupt -in Spanish- version of the previous one).

Three of them are wrong (Literally: "Tres de ellos/as están mal" speaking of things -items, answers, etc.-; "Tres de ellos/as cometen un error" for people) ---> Tres están equivocados/as (a less abrupt version -in Spanish of the previous ones).

Compare "You're wrong!" with "You are mistaken". "Equivocar/se" offers a theory about mixing up the right item or piece of information with the wrong one.

[Coffee Kitten]

Hmm, I'm not sure if I got the right idea. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

So should I use "errado" for the following instances?


You are wrong. There are only eight planets in the Solar System. Pluto is no longer considered a planet.
You are wrong. His wife is an engineer, not a doctor.
You are wrong. This cup contains sugar, not salt.

And should I use "equivocarse" for the following instances?


You are wrong. That planet is Mercury, not Mars.
You are wrong. The lady in blue is not Engr. Lopez. She is Dr. Santos. Engr. Lopez is the lady in green.
You are wrong. This is the salt shaker, not the pepper shaker.

And should I use "mal/malo" and "erróneo" for the following instances?


This is a wrong answer.
This is a wrong word.
This is the wrong person.

Thank you very much!

[aleCcowaN]

"Equivocado/a/s" is the right choice in all of them, if not the right translation, the polite one, as I explained above. In Spanish you don't tell people they are wrong unless you want to be impolite.

About the last group, "mal" and "malo" is not a choice because it changes the meaning.

This is a wrong answer:

Ésta es una respuesta equivocada ---> La capital de las Filipinas es Ciudad Quezón.
Ésta es una respuesta mala ---> Si gano Miss Universo voy a llevarle alegría a todos los niños pobres del mundo.

This is a wrong word:

Ésta es una palabra equivocada ---> puertería
Ésta es una palabra mala/una mala palabra ---> m*****

This is the wrong person:

Ésta es la persona equivocada ---> Bettina Williams (Whoopi Goldberg look-alike)
Ésta es una mala persona ---> Hitler

[Coffee Kitten]

I think I get it now. Thank you! :)