Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Antes se descubre al mentiroso que al ladrón.»
Word for word
Sooner one discovers the liar than the thief.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: A liar is found out before a thief.
Used to emphasize that lies are harder to maintain than theft is to conceal. Common in conversations about honesty and reputation.
Hear it in a sentence
No intentes cubrir todo con mentiras, porque antes se descubre al mentiroso que al ladrón.
Don't try to cover everything with lies, because a liar is found out before a thief.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your exact level.