enredar

to tangle up

enredar(ehn-rreh-dahr)

transitive verb

1. (to interlace)

a. to tangle up

Asegúrate de no enredar los cables cuando los guardes.

Make sure that you don't tangle up the cables when you put them away.

b. to mess up

Mi sobrino acaba de enredar todos los collares en mi joyero y los anudó.

My nephew just messed up all the necklaces in my jewelry box and got them in knots.

2. (to obscure)

a. to complicate

La burocracia enreda el proceso de admisión.

Bureaucracy complicates the admission process.

b. to mess up

Debiste haber cerrado la boca. Tu comentario solo enredó las cosas.

You should have kept your mouth shut. Your comment just messed things up.

c. to make complicated

Toda esta jerga técnica enreda este artículo. ¿Lo puedes reescribir en términos simples?

All this technical jargon is making this article complicated. Can you rewrite it in layman's terms?

d. to confuse

Trata de no enredar calidad con cantidad.

Try not to confuse quality with quantity.

3. (to compromise)

a. to get someone mixed up

Enredaron al famoso actor en un delito solo para manchar su imagen.

They got the famous actor mixed up in a crime to mar his image.

b. to get someone caught up

Los miembros de la pandilla enredaron a mi hermano menor en unos problemas legales.

The gang members got my younger brother caught up in some legal trouble.

4. (to divert one's attention)

a. to distract

Lorena enredó a la maestra después de clase con preguntas sobre historia.

Lorena distracted the teacher after class with questions about history.

intransitive verb

5. (to fidget)

a. to fiddle around

Mi hijo no dejaba de enredar en la sala de espera, fastidiando a todos.

My son couldn't stop fiddling around in the waiting room, irritating everybody.

b. to fiddle with

Martina estaba enredando con una pelotita y terminó rompiendo un vidrio.

Martina was fiddling with a little ball and ended up breaking a window.

enredarse

pronominal verb

6. (to be interlaced)

a. to get tangled

Abrí la cajita y vi que todos mis collares se habían enredado.

I opened the little box and noticed that all my necklaces had gotten tangled.

b. to get tangled up

Los sedales de nuestras cañas se enredaron y los tuvimos que cortar.

Our fishing lines got tangled up and we had to cut them.

7. (to get confusing)

a. to get complicated

¿Hay un sospechoso más? Este caso cada vez se enreda más.

There's a new suspect? This case keeps getting more complicated.

8. (to be troubled)

a. to get confused

¿Puedes repetirlo más lento? Me enredé con tantos números.

Can you repeat it slowly? I got confused with so many numbers.

9. (to have a relationship)

a. to get involved with

Juan se enredó con mi tía. No sabía que ella le gustaba.

Juan got involved with my aunt. I didn't know he liked her.

10. (to entwine)

a. to climb

La hiedra se enreda en las paredes de la mansión.

The ivy is climbing the walls of the mansion.

b. to twist oneself around

Quiero plantar enredaderas para que se enreden en la reja del jardín.

I want to plant vines so they twist themselves around the gate to the garden.

enredar

transitive verb

1. (madeja, pelo)

a. to tangle up

2. (situación, asunto)

a. to complicate, to confuse

3. (implicar)

a.

enredar a alguien (en)to embroil somebody (in), to involve somebody (in)

4. (entretener)

a. to bother, to annoy

intransitive verb

5. (colloquial)

a. to get up to mischief

enredar con algoto fiddle with o mess about with something

pronominal verb

6. (plantas)

a. to climb

7. (madeja, pelo)

a. to get tangled up

8. (situación, asunto)

a. to become confused

la cola de la cometa se enredó en unas ramasthe tail of the kite got tangled in some branches

9. (meterse)

a.

enredarse en un asuntoto get mixed up o involved in something

enredarse a hacer algoto start doing something

10. (colloquial)

a.

enredarse conto get involved o have an affair with

Copyright © 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited

enredar

transitive verb

1 [+hilos, cuerda] to tangle up

este viento te enreda el pelo your hair gets tangled up in this wind; this wind tangles your hair up

2 [+situación, asunto] to make complicated; complicate

con tanta mentira enredó las cosas aún más with all his lies he made matters even more complicated; with all his lies he complicated matters even more

3 (desordenar) to get into a mess; mess up

estos niños lo han enredado todo these children have got everything into a mess; these children have messed everything up

4 (involucrar) to get mixed o caught up;en in

la han enredado en un asunto turbio they've got her mixed o caught up in some shady deal

5 (entretener)

no me enredes, que llego tarde don't hold me back, or I'll be late

6 (engañar) to trick

le enredaron unos timadores some conmen tricked him

7 (enemistar) to cause trouble among o between

8 (Caza) [+animal] to net; [+trampa] to set

intransitive verb

(juguetear) to play around; monkey around (familiar)

¡no enredes! stop playing around!; enredar con algo to fiddle with sth; ¡deja ya de enredar con los lápices! stop fiddling (around) with the pencils, will you?

pronominal verb

enredarse

1 [+hilos, cuerda] to get tangled up

se me ha enredado el pelo my hair's got all tangled up; la cinta se enredó en el ventilador the ribbon got tangled up o caught in the fan; el sedal se enredó en la hélice the fishing line fouled the propeller

2 [+situación, asunto] to get complicated

3 (involucrarse) to get mixed up; get involved;con, en with

se enredó en un asunto de drogas he got mixed up o involved in some business to do with drugs

enredarse de o en palabras

4 (liarse) to get into a tangle (familiar); get into a muddle (familiar)

me enredé haciendo las cuentas I got into a tangle o muddle with the accounts (familiar); me enredé al pronunciar su nombre I got tongue-tied when I tried to say his name

5 (sentimentalmente) to get involved; get embroiled

se enredó con una estudiante he got involved o embroiled with a student