Follow My Misdirection

(In Spanish class we are playing Kahoot, a multiple choice quiz game. The quiz is about a specific verb tense, which is formed using the “opposite” of the usual verb endings. When a trick question comes up, the teacher reminds us:)

Teacher: “Remember, you want to use the opposite ending.”

(We all give the correct conjugation for [tense], and the game tells us we are wrong.)

Teacher: “This sentence starts with ‘Creo que,’ which is a time when you don’t use [tense]. It should just be a regular present tense verb. It’s a trick question.”

Me: “Wait a minute, you told us to add the opposite ending. Wasn’t that a lie?”

(Note that although unexpected, the switch-up is not outside what we’ve learned.)

Teacher: “I wanted you guys to get it wrong so I could explain it to you.”

Me: “…?”