The Present Tense of Mentir is used to describe actions of lying that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, Ella miente sobre su edad. (She lies about her age.)

Mentir is a stem-changing verb, meaning the stem vowel changes from ‘e’ to ‘ie’ in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. This is a common conjugation pattern for many Spanish verbs.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Mentir (to lie) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Mentir generally means “to lie” or “to tell an untruth”, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To state something untrue with the intention to deceive, for example, Ella miente sobre su edad. (She lies about her age.)

Figurative meaning: To present something in a misleading way, for example, Las fotos no mienten, estás gordo. (The photos don’t lie, you’re fat.)

Colloquial usage: As an exclamation of disbelief or surprise, for example, ¡Mientes! ¿En serio ganaste la lotería? (You’re lying! Did you really win the lottery?)

Slang usage: To exaggerate or embellish the truth, for example, Él miente sobre sus aventuras para impresionar a las chicas. (He lies about his adventures to impress girls.)

Examples

Examples of Mentir in the Present Tense

Cuando mi amigo miente, siempre se toca la nariz. (When my friend lies, he always touches his nose.)

Mi hermana miente sobre su edad para parecer más joven. (My sister lies about her age to seem younger.)

Los políticos a menudo mienten durante las campañas electorales. (Politicians often lie during election campaigns.)

Nosotros nunca mentimos a nuestros padres porque es una falta de respeto. (We never lie to our parents because it’s disrespectful.)

Ellos mienten sobre sus habilidades en sus currículums para conseguir trabajos. (They lie about their skills on their resumes to get jobs.)

Mi jefe miente sobre los beneficios que ofrece la empresa. (My boss lies about the benefits the company offers.)

Tú mientes tan bien que nadie se da cuenta. (You lie so well that no one notices.)

Yo miento sobre mi edad en las aplicaciones de citas. (I lie about my age on dating apps.)

Los niños a veces mienten para evitar meterse en problemas. (Children sometimes lie to avoid getting into trouble.)

Ella miente sobre su peso y altura en las redes sociales. (She lies about her weight and height on social media.)

Nosotros mentimos a nuestros amigos sobre lo que hicimos el fin de semana. (We lie to our friends about what we did over the weekend.)

Ellos mienten sobre su nivel de español para impresionar a otros. (They lie about their Spanish level to impress others.)

Tú mientes tan descaradamente que es difícil creerte. (You lie so brazenly that it’s hard to believe you.)

Yo miento sobre mi edad para pagar menos en el cine. (I lie about my age to pay less at the movies.)

Ellas mienten sobre su estado civil para evitar preguntas incómodas. (They lie about their marital status to avoid awkward questions.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.