no es verdad
/no es beɾdad/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "not true" is no es verdad.
No es verdad is used to state that a piece of information is incorrect or false. Other ways to express similar ideas include saying No es así to mean "It's not like that" or "That's not how it is," or using No está diciendo la verdad to indicate that someone is not telling the truth. If you wish to call something a "lie" specifically, you can use the noun mentira.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (not), es (is) and verdad (truth).
Which one should you use?
While no es verdad and no es cierto are often interchangeable, no es cierto is frequently used to deny a specific fact or statement, whereas no es verdad can feel slightly more emphatic about the falsity of the claim.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using no es verdad to introduce a subordinate clause, such as "It is not true that he left," the following verb must be in the subjunctive mood (e.g., no es verdad que…).
How do you pronounce it?
/no es beɾdad/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, adding ¿verdad? to the end of a sentence acts like a tag question, similar to 'right?' or 'isn't it?' in English.
- While English uses the same word for 'true' in both 'a true story' and 'a true friend', Spanish often distinguishes between verdad for facts and verdadero for authenticity.
- The Spanish word verdad is a distant relative of the English word 'verity'. Both descend from the Latin vērus, which means 'true' or 'genuine'.
Examples in context
- Eso no es verdad.That's not true.Tatoeba #1579880 by marcelostockle, translation #954334 by CK
- Esto no es verdad.This is not true.Tatoeba #1205682 by marcelostockle, translation #370573 by saeb
- Sé que no es verdad.I know that's not true.Tatoeba #4398456 by pchamorro, translation #2376135 by CK
- No es verdad que ella haya ganado la loteríaIt's not true that she won the lottery.
- No es correcto afirmar que la Tierra es planaIt is not correct to claim that the Earth is flat.
- No es cierto que el proyecto haya sido canceladoIt is not true that the project has been canceled.
- La información proporcionada no es exactaThe provided information is not accurate.
- Lo que dices no concuerda con la realidadWhat you say does not match with reality.
- No es así, no dijo esoIt's not like that, he didn't say that.
- ¡Es mentira lo que estás diciendo!What you're saying is a lie!
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are discussing a rumor about their office.
- ElenaDicen que vas a renunciar, Daniel.They say you are going to quit, Daniel.
- DanielEso no es verdad, yo me quedo.That is not true, I am staying.
- Elena¿Estás seguro de que no es verdad?Are you sure it's not true?
- DanielSí, es solo un rumor.Yes, it is just a rumor.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, no, verdad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
