A small child standing next to a shattered blue vase on the floor. The child is pointing accusingly at a cat sitting nearby, while secretly holding a small hammer behind their back.

mentir

men-TEER

verbA1irregular (stem-changing e -> ie, and e -> i in some forms) ir

to lie?to say something untrue knowingly

Also:to deceive?synonym for lying

Quick Reference

infinitivementir

gerundmintiendo

past Participlementido

📝 In Action

Ella siempre miente sobre su edad.

She always lies about her age.

Prométeme que nunca me mentirás.

Promise me that you will never lie to me.

Aunque me mintió, creo que lo hizo para protegerme.

Even though he lied to me, I think he did it to protect me.

Word Connections

Synonyms

engañar (to deceive)
falsear (to falsify)

Antonyms

decir la verdad (to tell the truth)
ser honesto (to be honest)

Common Collocations

mentir descaradamente – to lie brazenly/shamelessly
mentir por omisión – to lie by omission

Idioms & Expressions

Mentira piadosa – A white lie (a small lie told to avoid hurting someone)

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Boot' Conjugation (e -> ie)

In the present tense, the 'e' in the middle of 'mentir' changes to 'ie' (miento, mientes, miente, mienten). However, the 'nosotros' and 'vosotros' forms are regular (mentimos, mentís).

Subjunctive and Past Tense Stem Change (e -> i)

In the Preterite (past tense) and Subjunctive, the vowel changes even further, from 'e' to 'i' in some forms (e.g., él mintió in the past, or nosotros mintamos in the subjunctive). This is common for -ir stem-changing verbs.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing the stem change

Mistake: "Using 'mentamos' instead of 'mintamos' for the 'nosotros' form in the present subjunctive."

Correction: The correct form is 'mintamos' (using the 'i' stem). Remember that the 'nosotros' and 'vosotros' forms of these verbs use the 'i' stem when in the subjunctive or past tense.

⭐ Usage Tips

Talking about who you lie to

'Mentir' often uses the preposition 'a' when saying who is being lied to: 'Le mentí a mi madre' (I lied to my mother).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedmiente

yomiento

túmientes

ellos/ellas/ustedesmienten

nosotrosmentimos

vosotrosmentís

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmentía

yomentía

túmentías

ellos/ellas/ustedesmentían

nosotrosmentíamos

vosotrosmentíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedmintió

yomentí

túmentiste

ellos/ellas/ustedesmintieron

nosotrosmentimos

vosotrosmentisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedmienta

yomienta

túmientas

ellos/ellas/ustedesmientan

nosotrosmintamos

vosotrosmintáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmintiera

yomintiera

túmintieras

ellos/ellas/ustedesmintieran

nosotrosmintiéramos

vosotrosmintierais

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: mentir

Question 1 of 2

Which form of 'mentir' is used when talking about what 'we' (nosotros) are lying about right now?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

la mentira(the lie (noun)) - noun

mentiroso(liar, lying (adjective/noun)) - adjective

el desmentido(the denial/refutation (noun)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'mentir' reflexive? Do I ever say 'mentirse'?

Generally, no. 'Mentir' is used directly: 'Yo miento' (I lie). You would only use 'mentirse' if you meant 'to lie to oneself,' as in 'No te mientas a ti mismo' (Don't lie to yourself).

How do I know when the stem changes from 'e' to 'ie' versus 'e' to 'i'?

The 'e' becomes 'ie' in most of the present tense (the 'boot' forms: yo, tú, él/ella, ellos/ellas). The 'e' becomes 'i' in the Gerund (mintiendo), the Preterite 3rd person forms (mintió/mintieron), and the entire Present Subjunctive 'nosotros/vosotros' forms (mintamos/mintáis).