to mix up / swap
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to mix up
To accidentally confuse two or more things and put them in the wrong place or mistake one for the other.
Ich habe aus Versehen unsere Jacken vertauscht, weil sie genau gleich aussehen.
I accidentally mixed up our jackets because they look exactly the same.
The prefix 'ver-' in 'vertauschen' (to mix up / swap) often suggests an accident or mistake. While 'tauschen' (to swap/exchange) is a neutral exchange, 'vertauschen' usually means that you have accidentally mixed something up.
Oh nein, ich habe aus Versehen unsere Regenschirme vertauscht!
Oh no, I accidentally mixed up our umbrellas!
There are two typical sentence patterns: You can either use a plural object ('die Koffer vertauschen' — to mix up the suitcases) or connect two objects with the preposition 'mit' (with): 'meinen Koffer mit deinem vertauschen' (to mix up my suitcase with yours).
Die beiden haben im Restaurant ihre Mäntel vertauscht.
The two of them mixed up their coats at the restaurant.
Things that look very similar are often mixed up. Typical objects are 'Jacken' (jackets), 'Gläser' (glasses), 'Koffer' (suitcases), 'Schlüssel' (keys), or abstract things like 'Namen' (names) and 'Zahlen' (numbers).
Der Redner hat in seiner Präsentation zwei wichtige Zahlen vertauscht.
The speaker mixed up two important numbers in his presentation.
to change / switch
'wechseln' and 'vertauschen' both have to do with exchange. 'wechseln' is used when you deliberately replace something with something else, for example clothing, a tire, or a seat. 'vertauschen' often means that two things are accidentally mixed up and then are in the wrong place or are mistaken for the other thing. It can also mean an intentional exchange, but 'tauschen' or 'wechseln' often sounds more natural for that. The risk of confusion is that in both cases two things can be involved. The important point is: 'vertauschen' often emphasizes the mistake.
In der Pause hat jemand die beiden Jacken vertauscht.
During the break, someone mixed up the two jackets.
Vor der langen Fahrt wechseln wir noch die Reifen.
Before the long drive, we are going to change the tires.