Confundir

[irmamar]

Have the following sentences got the same meaning?

Pueden confundir unas cosas con otras.
They may mistake some things for others.
They may confuse some things with others.

Errors? Thanks.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Have the following sentences got the same meaning?

Pueden confundir unas cosas con otras.
They may mistake some things for others.
They may confuse some things with others.

Errors? Thanks.

No I don't think they do have the same meaning, but I'm having difficulty deciding where the difference is.

If you mistake X for Y, you are completely wrong. You have clarity of thought.
If you confuse X with Y, you could be only partially wrong, you do not have clarity of thought.

Don Quijote mistakes a windmill for a giant.

You are confusing her with her twin sister. (i.e. you may be partially correct, but you are confused)

I'm not sure.

[irmamar]

If you're not sure, you can imagine how I feel.

So D. Quijote cannot confuse a windmill with a giant, can he?

[poli]

The meanings are very close in this case. Mistake really implies an error made while confuse implies the possibility that an error may be made.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

If you're not sure, you can imagine how I feel.

So D. Quijote cannot confuse a windmill with a giant, can he?

I wish I had not posted now.

I think that confuse .. with has a wider application that mistake ... for, so yes, DQ could confuse a windmill with a giant. I think mistake for is more specific.

The hunter shot his friend behind the bush because he mistook him for a deer.

The police arrested the wrong man because they mistook him for his brother.

Your argument is unsound because you are confusing issue X with issue Y.

Your theory is wrong because you are confusing General Relativity with Special Relativity.

[irmamar]

So, in this sentence, "confuse" is not able to be used; mistake would be the best option:

A teacher may confuse language problems of children with cognitive problems.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

So, in this sentence, "confuse" is not able to be used; mistake would be the best option:

A teacher may confuse language problems of children with cognitive problems.

Yes, if the teacher is making a clear mistake, then mistake would be the better option (that's twice today!) although 'confuse' would not be wrong

[poli]

Yes, they are nearly interchangable. If you are a good communicator you
should know the difference.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Have the following sentences got the same meaning?

Pueden confundir unas cosas con otras.
They may mistake some things for others.
They may confuse some things with others.

Errors? Thanks.

Pueden equivocar algunas cosas por otras. (Aunque esta no me gusta, ni yo particularmente la ocupo)

Pueden confundir algunas cosas con otras.

Creo que incluso en castellano significarían lo mismo ¿no?

[JPablo]

I don't want to confuse anybody, but I'd say that if you know your stuff you cannot get mixed up... nor muddled up.

Oxford gives good examples that may be of help,
nos confunden la voz por teléfono = people get our voices mixed up o confused on the phone;
no confundas los dos términos = don’t confuse the two terms;

confundir algo CON algo = to mistake something FOR something;
confundió el pimentón dulce con el picante = she mistook the sweet paprika for the hot;

confundir a alguien CON alguien = to mistake somebody FOR somebody;
la gente siempre me confunde con mi hermano gemelo = people always take o mistake me for my twin brother;
creo que me confunde con otra persona = I think you are getting me mixed up o confused with somebody else

b (desconcertar) to confuse;
no confundas al pobre chico con tantos detalles = don’t confuse the poor boy with so many details;
tantas cifras confunden a cualquiera = all these numbers are enough to confuse anyone;
el interés que demuestra por ella me confunde = I’m baffled by his interest in her
c (turbar) to embarrass;
se sintió confundida por tanta amabilidad = she was embarrassed o overwhelmed by so much kindness
confundirse v pron
a (equivocarse):
siempre se confunde en las cuentas = he always makes mistakes in the accounts o gets the accounts wrong;
confundirse DE algo:
me confundí de calle/casa = I got the wrong street/house;
se ha confundido de número = you have o you’ve got the wrong number
b (mezclarse, fundirse):
se confundió entre la multitud = he melted into o disappeared into the crowd;
una gran variedad de colores se confunden en el cuadro = the painting is a fusion of many different colors, many different colors are blended together in the painting;
unos policías de civil se confundían con la multitud = plainclothes police mingled with the crowd;
se confundieron en un apretado abrazo (liter) = they melted into a close embrace (liter)

Does that help at all?

[irmamar]

OK, it's clear now. Otra cosa es que me acuerde.

Thank you everybody.

[JPablo]

Bueno, si te inventas oraciones de tu propia cosecha, con cada uso o acepción, aunque te tengas que recrear un poco más con una palabra, creo que compensa a la hora de acordarse...

(Aunque yo debería practicar con el ejemplo... pues a veces también se me va la olla...) Oh yeah! (La, Oh yeah!)

[irmamar]

Sí, tienes razón, la práctica lo hace todo. Lo malo es el tiempo...