Smettila di mentire
The English phrase 'stop lying' is translated into Italian as Smettila di mentire.
You may also use Basta con le bugie, which translates to 'enough with the lies', in both formal and informal contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
Smettila di mentire is composed of smetti (stop), la (it), di (of) and mentire (to lie).
Which one should you use?
Smettila di mentire focuses on stopping the specific behavior, whereas Smetti di mentire is also grammatically correct and more direct.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the form Smettila di mentire, the singular imperative smetti uses the direct object pronoun la (it) attached to refer to the act of lying. If you are addressing more than one person, use the plural imperative Smettete di mentire. For a single person you address formally using the 'Lei' form, use Smetta di mentire.
Did you know?
- If you suspect someone is lying, you can respond with Ma va!, which literally means 'But go!' but functions as 'You're kidding' or 'Stop lying'.
- In Italian, if you are being particularly playful rather than angry, you might use the diminutive bugietta to refer to a 'little lie' or a white lie.
- The Italian concept of a bugia bianca (white lie) is often linked to the verb abbellire, which means 'to embellish'.
Examples in context
- Smettila di mentire.Stop lying.Tatoeba #2159960 by Guybrush88, translation #2111497 by CK
- Smettila di mentire, non ti credo.Stop lying, I don't believe you.
- Smettila di mentire e dimmi la verità.Stop lying and tell me the truth.
Example conversation
Chiara is confronting Lorenzo about a broken vase.
- ChiaraLorenzo, hai rotto tu il vaso?Lorenzo, did you break the vase?
- LorenzoNo, non sono stato io.No, it wasn't me.
- ChiaraSmettila di mentire, ti ho visto!Stop lying, I saw you!
- LorenzoVa bene, è stato un incidente.Fine, it was an accident.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
