confuso
/kon-FOO-so/
confused
When someone is confuso, they are feeling bewildered or unsure (confused).
confuso(Adjective)
confused
?feeling bewildered or unsure
,bewildered
?perplexed
mixed up
?mentally disorganized
📝 In Action
Estaba confuso después de leer todas esas reglas nuevas.
A2He was confused after reading all those new rules.
Ella se sintió confusa con la pregunta, así que pidió ayuda.
B1She felt confused by the question, so she asked for help.
Si estás confuso, tómate un momento para respirar.
A2If you are confused, take a moment to breathe.
💡 Grammar Points
Use with 'Estar'
When describing a person who feels confused, you almost always use the verb 'estar' (to be) because it describes a temporary, changing state, not a permanent characteristic.
Gender Agreement
Remember that 'confuso' must match the person's gender and number: 'confuso' (masc. singular), 'confusa' (fem. singular), 'confusos' (masc. plural), 'confusas' (fem. plural).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'Ser' instead of 'Estar'
Mistake: "Soy confuso."
Correction: Estoy confuso. Using 'Soy confuso' (Ser) implies that 'being confusing' is a permanent part of your personality, which is usually not what you mean.
⭐ Usage Tips
Asking for Clarity
A polite way to say you are confused is: 'Estoy un poco confuso, ¿puedes repetirlo?' (I'm a little confused, can you repeat it?)
Something that is confuso is difficult to understand or unclear.
confuso(Adjective)
unclear
?difficult to understand
,vague
?lacking precision
muddled
?messy or disorganized
,jumbled
?mixed up
📝 In Action
El informe era tan confuso que nadie entendió las conclusiones.
B1The report was so unclear that nobody understood the conclusions.
La imagen se veía confusa a través de la niebla.
B2The image looked blurry/muddled through the fog.
Su explicación de la política fue bastante confusa.
B1His explanation of the policy was quite vague.
💡 Grammar Points
Use with 'Ser' (Sometimes)
When describing a thing (like a book or a situation), 'confuso' often uses 'ser' because the quality of being confusing is considered an inherent characteristic of that thing: 'La ley es confusa.' (The law is confusing/unclear).
⭐ Usage Tips
Describing Visuals
You can use 'confuso' to describe things that are visually blurry or hard to distinguish, like a photograph or a view through fog.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: confuso
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'confuso' to describe a situation, not a person?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'confuso' and 'confundido'?
They are nearly identical when describing a person's mental state ('I am confused'). 'Confundido' is the past form of the verb 'confundir' and is often slightly more common in modern Spanish, but 'confuso' is perfectly correct and widely used as well. Both mean 'confused' when referring to a person.
Can 'confuso' be used for colors or lighting?
Yes. When describing visuals, 'confuso' means blurry, indistinct, or ill-defined. For example, 'Los colores eran confusos' means the colors blended together and were hard to tell apart.