Differences between "confident" and "self-confident"

Question

What are the differences between "confident" and "self-confident" since they both means that some has confidence in themselves?

Answer 1

• You can be confident about someone or something else:

  I am confident that my son will pass his driving test tomorrow.

• You can be confident about yourself at a particular time without necessarily being self-confident in general:

  I am confident that I will pass my driving test tomorrow.

• You probably wouldn't say in a general sense:

  I am confident.

• Though you might say:

  I am a confident person.

• For a general statement, you would most likely say:

  I am self-confident.

• You can't say:

  I am self-confident that I will pass my driving test tomorrow'.

• You also can't be self-confident about someone or something else:

  I am self-confident that my son will pass ...'.