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A simple, colorful storybook illustration showing a character who has been caught in a falsehood. A long, twisting, blue ribbon, symbolizing a tangled lie, is emerging directly from the character's mouth.

mentiste

men-TEE-stay

Verb (Conjugated Form)A2irregular ir
you lied?informal, simple past tense
Also:you told a lie?informal, simple past

Quick Reference

infinitivementir
gerundmintiendo
past Participlementido

📝 In Action

Sabes que me mentiste sobre dónde fuiste anoche.

A2

You know that you lied to me about where you went last night.

¿Por qué mentiste? Necesito la verdad.

A1

Why did you lie? I need the truth.

Si mentiste, tienes que disculparte inmediatamente.

B1

If you lied, you have to apologize immediately.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • engañaste (you deceived)
  • falseaste (you falsified)

Antonyms

  • dijiste la verdad (you told the truth)
  • fuiste honesto (you were honest)

Common Collocations

  • mentiste sin querer – you lied unintentionally
  • mentiste descaradamente – you lied shamelessly

💡 Grammar Points

When to use 'mentiste'

'Mentiste' is the simple past (called the preterite) form for 'tú' (you). Use it when the lying happened once and finished completely in the past.

The 'Tú' Past Ending

The ending, -iste, is the standard way to conjugate the 'tú' form in the simple past for almost all verbs ending in -er and -ir, even irregular ones like 'mentir'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing informal vs. formal 'you'

Mistake: "Using 'mentiste' when addressing an elder or boss (instead of 'mintió')."

Correction: Use 'Usted mintió' (formal past tense) instead of 'Tú mentiste' (informal) unless you know the person well.

Forgetting the Stem Change in Other Forms

Mistake: "Thinking the verb is fully regular because 'mentiste' looks regular."

Correction: The base verb 'mentir' is irregular! Notice how 'él/ella/usted' uses 'mintió' (e changes to i) and the present tense uses 'miento' (e changes to ie).

⭐ Usage Tips

Directness

Using 'mentiste' is very direct. If you want to soften the accusation, you might say 'Creo que no estás diciendo la verdad' (I think you aren't telling the truth).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: mentiste

Question 1 of 2

Which Spanish pronoun is implied when you use the verb form 'mentiste'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

mentir(to lie) - verb
la mentira(the lie (the noun)) - noun
mentiroso(liar / deceitful) - adjective/noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'mentiste' the same as 'mientes'?

No. 'Mientes' means 'you lie' (present tense, meaning you are lying right now or you lie habitually). 'Mentiste' means 'you lied' (past tense, the action is finished).

Why is the base verb 'mentir' considered irregular?

While the 'tú' past form ('mentiste') looks regular, the verb is irregular because its stem changes vowels in many other tenses, like the present tense ('miento') and the formal past tense ('mintió').