Inklingo
Dictionary

mentiste

men-TEE-staymenˈtiste

“mentiste” means “you lied” in Spanish (informal, simple past tense).

you liedAlso: you told a lie

Verb (Conjugated Form)A2irregular irneutral/informal
Spain (Vosotros)
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.
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

Indicative

Present

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

Imperfect

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

Preterite

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

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

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

Imperfect Subjunctive

yomintiera/mientiese
túmintieras/mientieses
él/ella/ustedmintiera/mientiese
nosotrosmintiéramos/mientiésemos
vosotrosmintierais/mientieseis
ellos/ellas/ustedesmintieran/mientiesen
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "mentiste" in Spanish:

you lied

✏️ 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
🎵 Rhymes
insististeviviste
📚 Etymology

Comes from the Latin verb *mentiri*, meaning 'to lie' or 'to invent.' The Spanish word has kept its meaning very consistent across centuries.

First recorded: Around the 10th century (as the root verb 'mentir' in early Romance languages)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: mentisteItalian: mentisti

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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').