Inklingo

mentí

men-TEE/menˈti/

mentí means I lied in Spanish (past action).

I lied

Also: I told a lie
Verb (Conjugated Form)A2irregular (stem-changing E>I) ir
A simple illustration showing a character, reminiscent of Pinocchio, whose nose has grown significantly long, symbolizing that they have told a lie.
infinitivementir
gerundmintiendo
past Participlementido

📝 In Action

Sí, lo admito, mentí sobre mi edad.

A2

Yes, I admit it, I lied about my age.

Te dije que no fui yo, pero en realidad mentí.

B1

I told you it wasn't me, but actually I lied.

Ella me preguntó, y para evitar problemas, mentí.

B1

She asked me, and to avoid problems, I lied.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • engañé (I deceived/tricked)
  • falseé (I falsified)

Antonyms

  • dije la verdad (I told the truth)
  • fui honesto (I was honest)

Common Collocations

  • mentí descaradamenteI lied brazenly
  • mentí sin quererI lied accidentally

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedmiente
yomiento
mientes
ellos/ellas/ustedesmienten
nosotrosmentimos
vosotrosmentís

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmentía
yomentía
mentías
ellos/ellas/ustedesmentían
nosotrosmentíamos
vosotrosmentíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedmintió
yomentí
mentiste
ellos/ellas/ustedesmintieron
nosotrosmentimos
vosotrosmentisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedmienta
yomienta
mientas
ellos/ellas/ustedesmientan
nosotrosmintamos
vosotrosmintáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmintiera
yomintiera
mintieras
ellos/ellas/ustedesmintieran
nosotrosmintiéramos
vosotrosmintierais

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "mentí" in Spanish:

i lied

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: mentí

Question 1 of 2

Which of these sentences correctly uses 'mentí'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

Comes from the Latin verb *mentiri*, which carried the same meaning: 'to lie' or 'to deceive'.

First recorded: Medieval Latin

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: mentirItalian: mentire

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'mentí' have an accent mark?

The accent mark on the 'í' is there to ensure you stress the last syllable (men-TEE). This is a rule for almost all 'yo' forms in the simple past (preterite) tense for -er and -ir verbs.

How is 'mentí' different from 'mentía'?

'Mentí' means 'I lied' (one time, finished). 'Mentía' means 'I used to lie' (a habit in the past) or 'I was lying' (an ongoing action in the past).