miente

Miente is the present tense form of the Spanish verb mentir. It specifically denotes that someone lies, and can be used for he/she lies or, in formal usage, you (usted) lie.

Mentir is an irregular -ir verb. In the present indicative, its forms are: yo miento, tú mientes, él/ella miente, nosotros mentimos, vosotros mentís, ellos mienten. Therefore, miente is the third-person singular form and also the formal second-person singular form (usted): Usted miente.

The verb mentir conveys the act of not telling the truth. It is transitive and used with direct or indirect objects: miente a alguien (lies to someone) or miente sobre algo (lies about something). Its related forms include the gerund mintiendo and the past participle mentido. Common collocations include decir mentiras (to tell lies) and no mentir (to not lie).

Etymology traces mentir to Latin, from mentīri or mentīri, meaning to lie. It shares cognates with other Romance languages, such as mentir in Portuguese and mentire in Italian, reflecting a common Latin origin for the concept of falsehood.

In usage, miente appears in everyday speech, journalism, and literature to describe deception or dishonesty. It can express accusation or assessment, as in "El político miente" or "No me gusta que mienta." Related terms include mentira (lie) and mentiroso/mentirosa (liar).