completamente errado

You will mostly use this phrase with the verbs ser (to be) and estar (to be). Use estar when you are talking about a specific situation or a temporary state. For example, if you are doing a math problem on a whiteboard, your answer está completamente errado. Use ser for things that are fundamentally or morally wrong. If a company has a policy that discriminates against people, that policy é completamente errado. Remember that errado must agree with the subject. If you are talking about 'them' (masculine plural), it becomes errados. If you are talking about a feminine noun like ideia, it stays errado because it's an adverbial phrase here? No, actually, it's an adjective. So ideia errada. But completamente never changes because it is an adverb. It is a very versatile tool for your social kit.

Imagine you are scrolling through TikTok and see a 'life hack' that clearly won't work. You might comment, "Esse vídeo está completamente errado, não façam isso!". Or think about a Zoom meeting where a coworker shares the wrong sales figures. You could gently say, "Acho que esses números estão completamente errados". In a more personal setting, if a friend thinks you hate pizza (the horror!), you would laugh and say, "Você está completamente errado, eu amo pizza!". It also shows up in news headlines. You might see an article titled "Por que o senso comum sobre este assunto está completamente errado?". It is everywhere from casual chats to formal debates.

Use this phrase when you have 100% certainty. It is perfect for correcting factual errors in a classroom or at work. It is also great for strong opinions when you feel something is ethically incorrect. If you are watching a movie and the subtitles are nonsense, tell your friend they are completamente errados. It is also useful in self-deprecation. Admitting "Eu estava completamente errado sobre você" is a great way to build bridges after a misunderstanding. It shows you are honest and can admit a major blunder. Use it when the error is significant enough to warrant a strong word like completamente.

Avoid this phrase if someone is only 'a little bit' wrong. If they got the time of a party wrong by five minutes, calling them completamente errado sounds aggressive. It is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Also, be careful in very hierarchical settings. Telling your boss they are completamente errado during a big presentation might not end well for your career. In those cases, try something softer like não é bem assim. Don't use it if you aren't sure of your own facts either. If you say someone is completamente errado and then you turn out to be the wrong one, the embarrassment is doubled. Keep it for the big, obvious mistakes.

A very common trap for English speakers is trying to say total errado. That doesn't work. You need the adverb form totalmente or completamente. Another mistake is forgetting to change the ending of errado when talking about multiple people. If a group of guys is wrong, they are errados. If a group of girls is wrong, they are erradas. However, if you use the word isso (this/that thing), the adjective stays masculine. Another slip-up is using completamente with words that don't fit, like completamente grátis. While people say it, totalmente grátis is more common. Stick to completamente for negatives like errado or falso for the best impact.

• ✗ Você está completa errado → ✓ Você está completamente errado
• ✗ As respostas estão completamente errado → ✓ As respostas estão completamente erradas
• ✗ Isso é completa errado → ✓ Isso é completamente errado

If you want to mix it up, you can use totalmente errado. It is almost identical in meaning. Another one is inteiramente errado, which sounds a bit more formal and bookish. If you want to be more idiomatic, you could say longe da verdade (far from the truth). For a more aggressive vibe, de todo errado works well. If you are talking about being mistaken rather than just 'wrong', you can use the verb equivocar-se. For example, "Você se equivocou completamente". This sounds a bit more polite because it focuses on the act of making a mistake rather than just being 'wrong'. It's like the difference between 'you're wrong' and 'you've made an error'.

You will often hear people add even more emphasis. Absolutamente errado is the big brother of our phrase. It is even more final. Sometimes, people switch the order for poetic effect in writing, but in speech, it is always completamente first. In Brazil, you might hear toda errada when referring to a situation or a person (usually feminine). For example, "Minha vida está toda errada" (My life is all wrong/a mess). This is more informal and carries a bit more drama. If you are texting, you might just see 100% errado. It is the digital age version of our phrase.

Is it too rude for daily use? It depends on your tone. If you say it with a smile while joking with a friend, it is fine. If you shout it during an argument, it is very sharp. Can I use it for food? Not really. If a dish tastes bad, you wouldn't say it is errado. You would say it is ruim. But if the recipe is factually incorrect, then the recipe is completamente errado. Is there a difference between Portugal and Brazil? Not in the meaning, but Brazilians might use totalmente slightly more often in casual speech. Both will understand you perfectly. It is a safe bet across the whole Lusophone world.