te amo… ¡mentira!
/te ˈamo menˈtiɾa/word by word
The English phrase "i love you…sike!" is translated into Spanish as te amo… ¡mentira!
In Argentina, the part ¡mentira! means "just kidding!"
Which one should you use?
While te amo is used for deep, romantic or intense love, you can also use te quiero… ¡mentira! for the same joke. Te quiero is a more common, slightly less intense way to say "I love you" to friends, family or partners.
Did you know?
- The pronoun te traces its origins back to the Proto-Indo-European root *twé, which is a distant relative of the English word 'thee'.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, if you say ¡mentira! too seriously, it can be interpreted as an accusation of being a 'mentiroso', or a liar, rather than a joke.
- The word mentira can be used as a noun to mean 'a falsehood', but it is also used as an exclamation to mean 'No way!' when someone tells an unbelievable story.
Example conversation
Elena is teasing Javier during a phone call.
- ElenaEres el mejor hombre del mundo.You are the best man in the world.
- Javier¿De verdad, Elena?Really, Elena?
- ElenaTe amo… ¡mentira!I love you… sike!
- Javier¡No me engañes así!Don't trick me like that!
