The masculine noun equivoco is one way to translate the words misunderstanding, misinterpretation or crossed wires. If you are having trouble remembering this word, simply think of the adjective equivocal in English, which is just another way of saying ambigous or open to more than one interpretation.
equivoco
misunderstanding / misinterpretation
It can be traced back to the late Latin verb aequivocare, meaning “to call several things by the same name.” Here is the plural form, along with its definite and indefinite articles:
- l’equivoco = the misunderstanding
- un equivoco = a misunderstanding
- gli equivoci = the misunderstandings
- degli equivoci = (some) misunderstandings
Ho paura che ci sia stato un equivoco.
I’m afraid there has been a misunderstanding.
Derived from equivoco is the verb equivocare, which – unsurprisingly – means “to misinterpret / misunderstand.”
Here are a few useful expressions with equivoco that you might encounter:
- chiarire un equivoco = to clear up a misunderstanding
- a scanso di equivoci = to avoid any misunderstandings
- cadere nell’equivoco = to be misled
There are a surprising number of synonyms for equivoco including fraintendimento (from the verb fraintendere), malinteso and incomprensione. You will almost certainly hear capire male as well, which literally means “to understand poorly/badly.”
Spero che tu sappia che era solo un fraintendimento.
I hope you know that it was just a misunderstanding.
And if that weren’t enough, there are also two idiomatic expressions that convey the idea of confusing one thing for another.
- prendere fischi per fiaschi = literally “to mistake whistles for bottles”
- prendere lucciole per lanterne = literally “to mistake fireflies for lanterns”
Mi sembra di aver visto Daniela, ma non vorrei aver preso lucciole per lanterne.
I think I saw Daniela, but I might be wrong/confused.
Equivoco, in addition to being a noun, also functions as an adjective. In this sense, it is best translated as ambiguous, suspicious or dubious. Because it is an adjective, the ending must change to match the gender and number of the subject. Note that feminine plural becomes equivoche.
Non capisco questa frase… è troppo equivoca.
I don’t understand this sentence… it’s too ambiguous.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
