confiar
/kon-fyahr/
to trust
To confiar means to trust, relying on someone else for support and guidance.
confiar(Verb)
to trust
?General sense of having faith in someone or something.
to rely on
?Depending on someone's ability or character.
,to believe in
?Having confidence in a person or idea.
📝 In Action
Confío en ti. Sé que lo harás bien.
A2I trust you. I know you'll do it well.
Puedes confiar en mi palabra.
B1You can trust my word.
Es difícil confiar en los políticos.
B1It's difficult to trust politicians.
💡 Grammar Points
The Magic Word: 'en'
In Spanish, you don't just 'trust someone,' you 'trust IN someone.' Always remember to put en after confiar. For example: Confío en mi hermana. (I trust my sister.)
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting 'en'
Mistake: "Quiero confiar tú."
Correction: Quiero confiar en ti. (I want to trust you.) You almost always need 'en' to say who or what you trust.
⭐ Usage Tips
Expressing Deep Trust
Using confiar en often suggests a deeper, more personal level of trust than simply believing something is true. It's about having faith in someone's character or abilities.
When you confiar something, you entrust it to someone else for safekeeping or responsibility.
confiar(Verb)
to entrust
?Giving something valuable or a task to someone.
to confide
?Telling a secret.
,to assign
?Giving a responsibility.
📝 In Action
Le confié mi secreto a mi mejor amigo.
B1I confided my secret to my best friend.
El director me confió la dirección del proyecto.
B2The director entrusted me with the management of the project.
Voy a confiarte las llaves de mi casa.
B1I'm going to entrust you with my house keys.
💡 Grammar Points
Different Structure: 'confiar algo a alguien'
When you entrust something, the structure changes. You use a to show who is receiving the secret or task. The pattern is: confiar [the thing] a [the person].
❌ Common Pitfalls
Mixing up 'en' and 'a'
Mistake: "Le confié mi secreto en mi amigo."
Correction: Le confié mi secreto a mi amigo. Use 'a' when giving something (like a secret) to someone, and 'en' when simply expressing trust in them.
⭐ Usage Tips
Giving Responsibility
This meaning is all about transferring something—whether it's information (a secret) or a duty (a project). Think of it as 'to give in trust'.
Confiar can also mean to be confident, expressing certainty that a future event will occur.
confiar(Verb)
to be confident (that)
?Expressing certainty about a future event.
to trust (that)
?Believing a certain outcome will happen.
,to be hopeful (that)
?Expressing optimism.
📝 In Action
Confío en que todo saldrá bien.
B2I'm confident that everything will turn out well.
El equipo confía en que puede ganar el campeonato.
B2The team is confident that it can win the championship.
Confiamos en que lleguen a tiempo para la reunión.
C1We trust that they will arrive on time for the meeting.
💡 Grammar Points
Expressing Confidence in an Outcome
Use the pattern confiar en que followed by a description of what you're confident about. It's like saying 'I trust that...' something will happen.
A Hint of Subjunctive
Sometimes, if you're expressing a wish or command for someone else, the verb that comes after confiar en que will use a special form called the subjunctive. For now, just notice that the verb ending might change!
⭐ Usage Tips
Sounding Optimistic
This is a great way to express optimism about the future. It's a bit more formal than just saying espero que (I hope that).
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: confiar
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly says, 'I entrusted my dog to my sister'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between `confiar en` and `fiarse de`?
They are very similar and often interchangeable! Both mean 'to trust'. However, `confiar en` can sometimes feel a bit deeper and more personal, like having faith in someone's character. `Fiarse de` can be more about relying on someone or something in a specific situation, and sometimes implies you're taking a bit of a chance.
Why does the spelling sometimes change to `confío` with an accent?
Great question! In Spanish, the stress of a word usually falls on a specific syllable. To keep the stress on the 'i' sound in forms like 'yo confío' (I trust), Spanish adds an accent mark. Without it, the stress would naturally shift to the 'o'. It's a way to make sure the word keeps its proper rhythm.