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Conjugation Chart of “Mentir” (to lie) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Mentir”

The Imperfect Tense of Mentir is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, 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 standard pattern for this verb type.

How to Use Mentir in the Imperfect Tense

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

To lie or tell a lie: For example, Cuando era niño, mentía sobre mi edad para parecer mayor. (When I was a child, I used to lie about my age to seem older.) This can also refer to telling “white lies” or being dishonest in general.

To be mistaken or incorrect: For example, El profesor mentía sobre la fecha del examen. (The teacher was mistaken about the date of the exam.) This usage implies an unintentional falsehood.

To deceive or mislead (colloquial): For example, Mi hermano siempre me mentía para sacarme dinero. (My brother would always deceive me to get money from me.) This has a more negative connotation of purposeful deception.

To exaggerate or embellish (slang): For example, Mentía sobre sus aventuras para impresionar a las chicas. (He would lie about his adventures to impress girls.) This refers to stretching the truth or making something seem more impressive than it really is.

Real Life Examples of Mentir in the Imperfect Tense

Yo mentía sobre mi edad cuando era niño. (I used to lie about my age when I was a kid.)

Ella mentía a sus padres sobre dónde iba por las noches. (She would lie to her parents about where she went at night.)

Nosotros mentíamos para evitar problemas con la policía. (We would lie to avoid trouble with the police.)

Tú mentías tanto que ya nadie te creía. (You used to lie so much that nobody believed you anymore.)

Ellos mentían sobre su situación financiera para impresionar a los demás. (They would lie about their financial situation to impress others.)

¿Por qué mentías tanto? La honestidad es importante en una relación. (Why did you use to lie so much? Honesty is important in a relationship.)

Mi hermano mentía sobre haber hecho la tarea para evitar el castigo. (My brother would lie about having done his homework to avoid punishment.)

Cuando éramos jóvenes, mentíamos sobre nuestra edad para entrar a los bares. (When we were young, we would lie about our age to get into bars.)

Los políticos mentían sobre sus promesas de campaña. (The politicians would lie about their campaign promises.)

Ella mentía sobre su experiencia laboral para conseguir el empleo. (She would lie about her work experience to get the job.)

Nosotros mentíamos sobre nuestras calificaciones para que nuestros padres no se enojaran. (We would lie about our grades so our parents wouldn’t get mad.)

Tú mentías tanto que era difícil saber cuándo decías la verdad. (You used to lie so much that it was hard to know when you were telling the truth.)

Ellos mentían sobre su edad para pagar menos en el cine. (They would lie about their age to pay less at the movies.)

¿Por qué mentías sobre dónde estabas anoche? Sabes que puedes confiar en mí. (Why did you lie about where you were last night? You know you can trust me.)

Mi amigo mentía sobre tener novia para impresionar a los demás. (My friend would lie about having a girlfriend to impress others.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.