Culpar vs. echar la culpa
Spanish has multiple ways to express the concept of blaming someone. Two common expressions are 'culpar' and 'echar la culpa'. Knowing the differences between them can help in using them appropriately in various contexts.
Culpar
The verb 'culpar' means 'to blame' or 'to accuse'. It is a direct way of indicating that someone holds another person responsible for something.
Yo no quiero culpar a nadie sin pruebas.
(I don't want to blame anyone without evidence.)
Ellos culpan al gobierno por la crisis económica.
(They blame the government for the economic crisis.)
María siempre culpa a su hermano por todo lo que sale mal.
(María always blames her brother for everything that goes wrong.)
Echar la culpa
'Echar la culpa' is an idiomatic expression that also means 'to blame', but it often implies shifting responsibility or accusing someone as a way of evading one's own share of it.
No deberías echarle la culpa a Pedro por tu error.
(You shouldn't blame Pedro for your mistake.)
Ellos siempre echan la culpa al clima cuando llegan tarde.
(They always blame the weather when they arrive late.)
Es fácil echarle la culpa a otros en lugar de asumir nuestras propias responsabilidades.
(It’s easy to blame others instead of taking responsibility for our own actions.)
Summary
'Culpar' is a straightforward verb used to directly blame someone or something, while 'echar la culpa' is more idiomatic and often suggests evasion of personal responsibility by transferring blame. Both expressions are useful, but they can have slightly different connotations depending on the context.