Inklingo
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mentido

/men-TEE-doh/

lied

A simple storybook illustration of a stylized person holding a large, cheerful, yellow mask partially covering their face, symbolizing deception.

The word 'mentido' is the past participle of 'mentir', meaning 'lied' (has lied).

mentido(Past Participle)

A2irregular (stem-changing base verb, regular participle) ir

lied

?

used in perfect tenses, e.g., 'has lied'

📝 In Action

Nunca le he mentido a mi madre sobre mis notas.

A2

I have never lied to my mother about my grades.

Si hubieras mentido, ya lo sabríamos.

B1

If you had lied, we would already know it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • engañado (deceived)

Antonyms

  • dicho la verdad (told the truth)

Common Collocations

  • haber mentido – to have lied

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Perfect' Helper

The word 'mentido' always pairs with a form of the verb 'haber' (to have) to create an action that happened in the past, like 'he mentido' (I have lied).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Changing the Ending

Mistake: "Using 'mentida' or 'mentidos' when forming a perfect tense (e.g., 'Hemos mentidas')."

Correction: When paired with 'haber', the participle 'mentido' never changes its ending, regardless of who is doing the action. It is always 'Hemos mentido'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Regular Form

Even though the base verb 'mentir' is irregular (it changes its stem to 'miento' in the present), its past participle 'mentido' follows the standard '-ido' pattern, making it easy to remember.

A colorful storybook illustration showing a simple wooden signpost with an arrow pointing straight up, but the dirt path underneath curves sharply in the opposite direction, illustrating a false direction or statement.

When used as an adjective, 'mentido' means 'false' or untrue, describing a statement or rumor.

mentido(Adjective)

mB2

false

?

describing a statement or rumor

,

untrue

?

describing a claim

📝 In Action

La acusación mentida le causó mucho daño.

B2

The false accusation caused him a lot of harm.

No podemos confiar en esas promesas mentidas.

C1

We cannot trust those untrue promises.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • falso (false)
  • engañoso (deceptive)

Antonyms

💡 Grammar Points

Agreement is Key

When 'mentido' acts as an adjective (describing a noun), it must change its ending to match the noun's gender and number: 'una historia mentida' (feminine singular), 'los hechos mentidos' (masculine plural).

⭐ Usage Tips

Literary Use

Using 'mentido' as an adjective often sounds more formal or literary than simply using 'falso' (false) or 'engañoso' (deceptive).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: mentido

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'mentido' as an adjective?

📚 More Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'mentido' irregular?

The past participle 'mentido' is actually regular—it follows the standard '-ido' pattern. However, the base verb, *mentir* (to lie), is irregular because its stem changes (e to ie, and e to i) in many tenses.

When does 'mentido' change its ending (mentida, mentidos)?

'Mentido' changes its ending only when it is acting as an adjective, describing a noun (like 'the false promise' or 'la promesa mentida'). When it is used to form a verb tense (like 'he mentido'), it never changes.