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.