mintió
min-tee-OH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Ella mintió sobre su edad para entrar al club.
A2She lied about her age to get into the club.
El testigo mintió en la corte y ahora enfrenta cargos.
B1The witness lied in court and now faces charges.
Usted me dijo que estaba cerrado, pero mintió.
A2You told me it was closed, but you lied (formal 'usted').
La televisión mintió sobre los resultados de la elección.
B2The television (channel) lied about the election results.
💡 Grammar Points
The Simple Past (Pretérito)
Mintió uses the simple past tense, which is for actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past. It means the lie is over and done with.
The Irregular Change (e → i)
The verb 'mentir' is irregular. In the simple past forms for 'él/ella/usted' and 'ellos/ellas/ustedes,' the middle 'e' changes to an 'i' (mentió becomes mintió). This is a common pattern for '-ir' verbs like 'pedir' and 'sentir'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the Stem Change
Mistake: "Él mentió (instead of mintió)"
Correction: The correct form is 'mintió'. Remember that the 'e' in the stem changes to 'i' in this specific past tense form.
⭐ Usage Tips
Pronunciation Tip
The stress in 'mintió' is on the 'o,' which is why it has an accent mark (tílde). Make sure to emphasize that final syllable: /min-tee-OH/.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: mintió
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'mintió'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'mintió' have an accent mark?
The accent mark (tílde) on the 'ó' is mandatory in Spanish to indicate that the stress falls on the last syllable. This is a standard rule for nearly all simple past ('pretérito') conjugations of '-ar', '-er', and '-ir' verbs in the 'yo', 'él/ella/usted' forms.
How do I say 'They lied'?
The form for 'ellos/ellas/ustedes' (they/formal you plural) is 'mintieron'. For example, 'Ellos mintieron toda la noche' (They lied all night).