Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Si me equivoco, quiero que corrijas mi equivocación con paciencia. - If I make a mistake, I want you to correct my mistake patiently.

The basic verb is equivocarse = to be wrong / to make a mistake.
Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
So:
- (yo) me equivoco = I am wrong / I make a mistake
- (tú) te equivocas = you are wrong
- (él) se equivoca = he is wrong

Saying equivoco alone would sound incomplete or wrong to a native speaker, because equivocar without the reflexive usually needs an object (e.g. equivocar el camino = to choose the wrong way).

What is the difference between equivocarse and equivocar?

equivocarse (reflexive) = to be mistaken / to make a mistake (general):
- Me equivoqué. = I made a mistake.
equivocar (non‑reflexive) usually means "to get something wrong" and takes a direct object:
- Equivoqué el número. = I misdialed the number / I got the number wrong.

In your sentence, you are talking about yourself being wrong, not about something you got wrong, so the natural form is equivocarse → me equivoco.

Why is it Si me equivoco and not something like Si me equivocaré (future)?

In Spanish, after si (if), you normally do not use the future tense. You use the present to talk about future situations:

Si me equivoco, quiero que… = If I make a mistake, I want you to…
Si llegas tarde, llámame. = If you arrive late, call me.

Using future (si me equivocaré) sounds unnatural or wrong in standard Spanish. The future is usually replaced by the present in if-clauses.

Why is corrijas in the subjunctive, and not corriges?

Corrijas is the present subjunctive of corregir.

Spanish uses the subjunctive after verbs that express:

wishes, desires, requests: querer, desear, pedir…
emotions, doubts, opinions, etc.

The structure querer que + subjunctive is very common:

Quiero que vengas. = I want you to come.
Quiero que corrijas… = I want you to correct…

So:

quiero que corrijas (subjunctive) ✅
quiero que corriges ❌ (not used in standard Spanish)

Could I say quiero que me corrijas instead of quiero que corrijas mi equivocación?

Yes, and quiero que me corrijas is actually more natural in everyday speech.

Nuance:

Quiero que corrijas mi equivocación.
Sounds a bit more formal and “bookish”, focusing on the mistake.
Quiero que me corrijas.
Very common, more direct and natural, focusing on me being corrected.

You could even combine both:

Si me equivoco, quiero que me corrijas con paciencia.
This is how many native speakers would say it in conversation.

Why is it corrijas (tú form)? How would I say this formally or to more than one person in Spain?

In your sentence, corrijas is the tú (informal singular) form of the present subjunctive:

(tú) corrijas – you correct (subjunctive)
(usted) corrija – you (formal) correct
(vosotros) corrijáis – you all (informal plural, Spain)
(ustedes) corrijan – you all (formal plural in Spain; general plural in Latin America)

So in Spain:

Informal, to a friend (one person):
Si me equivoco, quiero que corrijas mi equivocación con paciencia.
Formal, to one person:
Si me equivoco, quiero que corrija mi equivocación con paciencia.
To a group of friends (vosotros):
Si me equivoco, quiero que corrijáis mi equivocación con paciencia.
Formal to a group:
Si me equivoco, quiero que corrijan mi equivocación con paciencia.

Can I omit que and say quiero corrijas mi equivocación?

No. In this structure, que is obligatory.

Correct:

Quiero que corrijas mi equivocación.

Incorrect:

❌ Quiero corrijas mi equivocación.

In Spanish, when one verb (like querer) is followed by a different subject and a conjugated verb (tú corrijas), you must connect them with que.

What exactly does con paciencia mean? Is it like “patiently”? Are there alternatives?

Con paciencia literally means with patience, and it does correspond to English patiently in this context.

Quiero que corrijas mi equivocación con paciencia.
= I want you to correct my mistake patiently / with patience.

Alternatives:

pacientemente = patiently (adverb, more formal/literary):
- Quiero que corrijas mi equivocación pacientemente.
To emphasize with me:
- …que me corrijas con paciencia conmigo. (very explicit, sometimes redundant)
- More natural: …que tengas paciencia conmigo cuando me corrijas.

But con paciencia on its own is very common and perfectly natural.

Is there any difference between equivocación and error here?

Both are possible, but there are small nuances:

equivocación:
- Very often used for mistake in the sense of getting something wrong, often one specific mistake.
- Slightly more “neutral” and a bit more formal than error in everyday speech.
error:
- Also mistake / error.
- Can sound a bit more technical or serious, depending on context (e.g. un error grave).

In your sentence, both work:

…quiero que corrijas mi equivocación…
…quiero que corrijas mi error…

Most learners will use error more often because it looks like English, but equivocación is very common in natural speech.

Could I change the word order and say quiero que corrijas con paciencia mi equivocación?

Yes. Spanish word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbial phrases.

These are all correct and natural:

…quiero que corrijas mi equivocación con paciencia.
…quiero que corrijas con paciencia mi equivocación.
…quiero que, con paciencia, corrijas mi equivocación. (more emphatic, slightly more formal)

The most neutral is probably the original: …corrijas mi equivocación con paciencia.

Why does me equivoco (present) refer to future situations, like “If I make a mistake (in the future)”?

In Spanish, the present tense is often used to talk about:

General truths / habits:
- Si llueve, no salgo. = If it rains, I don’t go out.
Future conditions:
- Si vienes mañana, te enseño las fotos. = If you come tomorrow, I’ll show you the photos.

So Si me equivoco… is a general or future‑looking condition:

If I make a mistake (whenever that happens / next time it happens)…

Use of the simple present instead of the future is normal and standard in these si clauses.