"to lie (tell lies)" in seven languages
Meaningto lie (tell lies)
Spanish
mentir
/menˈtiɾ/
inherited
French
mentir
/mɑ̃tiʁ/
inherited
Italian
mentire
/menˈtire/
inherited
Portuguese
mentir
/mẽˈtʃih/
inherited
Romanian
minți
/minˈtsi/
inherited
Catalan
mentir
/mənˈti/
inherited
English
lie
/laɪ/
native English · Old English lēogan
A different word from lie 'to lie down'.
English → Italianto lie (tell lies)mentireNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MENTĪRĪ‘to lie’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin MENTĪRĪ was a passive-looking (deponent) verb; the sisters made it an ordinary active one. English 'lie' covers two verbs that the sisters keep apart: mentir vs tumbarse, s'allonger, sdraiarsi.
Sound laws at work
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In a sentence
- esNo me mientas.
- frNe me mens pas.
- itNon mentirmi.
- ptNão minta pra mim.
- roNu mă minți.
- caNo em mentis.
- enDon't lie to me.
More words from the same Latin
More in Core verbs
- to realize (become aware)darse cuentase rendre compterendersi contodar-se contada seamaadonar-se
- to separatesepararséparersepararesepararseparaseparar
- to throwlanzarlancerlanciarejogararuncallançar
- to click (with a mouse)hacer cliccliquercliccareclicarda clicclicar
- to pushempujarpousserspingereempurrarîmpingeempènyer
- to pulltirar (de)tirertirarepuxartrageestirar