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Prepositions after verbs

Confide in or confide to?

Use confide in someone when talking about the person you trust. Confide a secret to someone is also possible, but confide to someone alone is usually nonstandard.

Quick answer

Which preposition goes with confide?

The standard pattern is confide in + person. You can also say confide + information + to + person. English usually does not use confide to someone without an object.

She confided in her sister.
He confided his fears to a close friend.
I confided in my colleague after the meeting.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
confide in + person

Talking about the person you trust

Use confide in when saying who receives private thoughts or feelings.

They confided in each other for years.
She confided in her doctor.
2
confide + secret to + person

Naming the information and the listener

Use a direct object for the secret and to for the listener.

He confided the news to his parents.
Maria confided her concerns to the manager.
3
confide that + clause

Reporting private information

A that-clause can follow confide when reporting what someone said privately.

She confided that she wanted to resign.
He confided that the project was delayed.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
confide in someone
I confided in my best friend.
Standard pattern meaning to trust someone with private information.
confide something to someone
She confided her doubts to her mentor.
Standard pattern with a direct object and listener.
confide to someone
He confided his worries to me.
Natural only when a direct object comes before to someone.
confide to someone
He confided to me after dinner.
Usually considered nonstandard or incomplete without an object.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using confide to without an object

English normally needs either confide in someone or confide something to someone.

✕ She confided to her friend. ✓ She confided in her friend.

Using in for information

Use to after the information being shared.

✕ He confided his secret in me. ✓ He confided his secret to me.

Forgetting the listener

When using confide with a direct object, include the person receiving the information if needed.

✕ She confided her fears. ✓ She confided her fears to her brother.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She finally ___ her sister about the problem.
2. He confided his plans ___ his lawyer.
3. Which sentence is most natural?

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say confide to someone?

Usually no. Say confide in someone or confide something to someone.

What is the difference between confide in and tell?

Confide in suggests trust and private or personal information. Tell is more general.

Can confide be used without a preposition?

Yes. You can say confide a secret to someone, where the secret is the direct object.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? captivate by, for, with, from or in? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"?

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