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Conjugation Chart of “Mentir” (to lie) in the Preterite (Past) Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | mentí |
| Tú | mentiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | mintió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | mentimos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | mintieron |
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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Mentir”
The preterite of mentir is used to express a specific instance of lying or telling a falsehood in the past. For example, you might say “He lied to me about where he was,” describing a single instance of dishonesty.
This is an e to i stem-changing verb, which means the ‘e’ in the stem changes to ‘i’ in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite.
How to Use Mentir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of mentir describes completed actions of lying or deceiving in the past.
To lie: Deliberate deception, for example Me mintió sobre dónde estaba (He lied to me about where he was).
To deceive: Misrepresentation, for example Les mintieron sobre el precio real (They deceived them about the real price).
Real Life Examples of Mentir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Mentí sobre mi edad. (I lied about my age.)
El testigo mintió en el juicio. (The witness lied during the trial.)
¿Por qué me mentiste? (Why did you lie to me?)
No mentimos sobre lo sucedido. (We didn’t lie about what happened.)
Los niños mintieron sobre la ventana rota. (The children lied about the broken window.)
Ella mintió para proteger a su hermano. (She lied to protect her brother.)
Mentí cuando dije que estaba enfermo. (I lied when I said I was sick.)
¿Le mentiste a tus padres? (Did you lie to your parents?)
El político mintió durante la campaña. (The politician lied during the campaign.)
Mentimos sobre la fiesta sorpresa. (We lied about the surprise party.)
Todos mintieron por diferentes razones. (Everyone lied for different reasons.)
Nunca le mentí a mi mejor amigo. (I never lied to my best friend.)
El estudiante mintió sobre la tarea. (The student lied about the homework.)
Mentimos para no herir sus sentimientos. (We lied to avoid hurting their feelings.)
Los sospechosos mintieron a la policía. (The suspects lied to the police.)
Conjugation Chart with English Translations
Conjugations of Mentir (to lie) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo mentí | I lied |
| Tú mentiste | You lied |
| Él / Ella / Usted mintió | He / She / You lied |
| Nosotros / Nosotras mentimos | We lied |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes mintieron | They / You all lied |
This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.