¡mentira!
The English phrase "psych" can be translated into Spanish as ¡mentira!
Meaning: (transitive) to put (someone or oneself) into a mental or psychological state where one is ready for some (often challenging) experience, (intransitive) of a person: to get into a mental or psychological state where one is ready for some (often challenging) experience (verb)
Did you know?
- To express the idea of 'psyching yourself up' as a verb, Spanish speakers do not use the word 'lie' but rather use prepararse mentalmente.
- To double down on a 'psych' moment, a speaker might say ¡mentira! and then follow it with ¡caíste!, which literally means 'you fell', implying the person fell for the prank.
- In certain Latin American countries, you can say ¡te la creíste! to mean 'you fell for it!', which serves a similar social function to 'psych!'
Examples in context
- ¡Mentira!Psych!
- ¡Mentira!, no te voy a dar el regalo.Psych! I'm not going to give you the gift.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are joking around during a break.
- ElenaDaniel, yo pagaré la cuenta hoy.Daniel, I will pay the bill today.
- Daniel¿En serio? ¡Qué amable, Elena!Really? How kind, Elena!
- Elena¡Mentira! Te toca pagar a ti.Psych! It's your turn to pay.
- DanielNo es gracioso, me engañaste.It's not funny, you fooled me.
