arrête de mentir
The English phrase "stop lying" is translated into French as arrête de mentir.
This phrase is a command used to tell someone to tell the truth and quit saying things that are not true.
Which one should you use?
While arrête de mentir is a direct way to say "stop lying", the slang expression arrête de raconter des conneries is a much more aggressive and vulgar way to tell someone they are talking nonsense.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address more than one person or to use the formal vous to show respect, use the form arrêtez de mentir. You can also specify who is being lied to by inserting an indirect object pronoun before the verb, such as me (to me) or lui (to him/her), for example arrête de me mentir.
Did you know?
- If you want to tell someone to 'stop telling stories' in a less harsh way than arrête de mentir, you can say arrête de raconter des salades, which literally means 'stop telling salads'.
- In some French-speaking regions, instead of using the verb mentir, people might say someone is 'en train de nous mener en bateau', which literally means 'is leading us in a boat'.
- If you are being lied to in a very informal setting, you might hear someone say Tu me charries!, which is a slang way of saying 'You are pulling my leg!' rather than accusing someone of a malicious lie.
Examples in context
- Arrête de mentir.Stop lying.This is a simple example of the command.Tatoeba #2160266 by Danquebec, translation #2111497 by CK
- Arrête de mentir !Stop lying!This is an example of the command used with emphasis.Tatoeba #12290876 by LdjuherTaqvaylit, translation #11555815 by GewoonLeonYT
- Arrête de mentir, je sais la vérité.Stop lying, I know the truth.
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are having a disagreement about a broken vase.
- HugoTu as cassé le vase, n'est-ce pas ?You broke the vase, didn't you?
- LéaNon, ce n'est pas moi !No, it wasn't me!
- HugoArrête de mentir, Léa.Stop lying, Léa.
- LéaD'accord, c'était un accident.Okay, it was an accident.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
