The Imperfect Tense of mentir is used to describe actions in the past that were ongoing or repeated, for example, Yo mentía sobre mi edad cuando era niño. (I used to lie about my age when I was a child.)

Mentir is a regular -ir verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Mentir (to lie) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of mentir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

Lying or telling a lie: For example, Cuando era niño, mentía a mis padres sobre mis calificaciones. (When I was a child, I used to lie to my parents about my grades.)

Being dishonest or deceitful: For example, Mi ex siempre me mentía sobre su paradero. (My ex always lied to me about their whereabouts.)

Failing to tell the truth: For example, Mentía sobre su edad para conseguir bebidas alcohólicas. (They lied about their age to get alcoholic drinks.)

Idiomatically, “no mentir”: For example, No me mentías, ¡eras tú quien robó las galletas! (Don’t lie to me, you were the one who stole the cookies!)

Rude usage: For example, ¡Deja de mentirme, cabrón! (Stop lying to me, you jerk!)

Examples

Examples of Mentir in the Imperfect Tense

Yo mentía a mis padres sobre mis calificaciones. (I used to lie to my parents about my grades.)

Ella mentía con frecuencia a su esposo. (She often lied to her husband.)

Nosotros mentíamos para evitar problemas. (We used to lie to avoid problems.)

Tú mentías tan bien que nadie se daba cuenta. (You used to lie so well that no one noticed.)

Ellos mentían sobre su edad para entrar al club. (They used to lie about their age to get into the club.)

Vosotros mentíais a vuestros padres sobre dónde ibais. (You (plural) used to lie to your parents about where you were going.)

Ustedes mentían para impresionar a sus amigos. (You (plural) used to lie to impress your friends.)

Él mentía sobre su experiencia laboral en su currículum. (He used to lie about his work experience on his resume.)

Yo mentía sobre mi edad para parecer más joven. (I used to lie about my age to seem younger.)

Ellas mentían sobre su situación financiera. (They used to lie about their financial situation.)

Tú mentías para evitar herir los sentimientos de los demás. (You used to lie to avoid hurting others’ feelings.)

Nosotros mentíamos sobre nuestros hábitos alimenticios. (We used to lie about our eating habits.)

Vosotros mentíais sobre vuestras calificaciones a vuestros padres. (You (plural) used to lie to your parents about your grades.)

Ellos mentían sobre su nivel de español. (They used to lie about their Spanish level.)

Yo mentía sobre mi edad para conseguir descuentos. (I used to lie about my age to get discounts.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Mentir (to lie) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.