Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«La mentira tiene patas cortas.»
¿Cómo se dice «La mentira tiene patas cortas» en inglés? Lies have short legs.
Word for word
The lie has short legs.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Lies have short legs.
Very common saying meaning that lies don't go far and are soon discovered. Used to reassure someone that the truth will come out.
Learning Spanish? Get one saying like this every morning, next to real news written at your level.
Also said as
- Las mentiras tienen las patas muy cortas.
Hear it in a sentence
No te preocupes, la mentira tiene patas cortas y pronto se sabrá lo que pasó.
Don't worry, lies have short legs and soon everyone will know what happened.
More Spanish sayings
- Hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo. — Don't cast a clout till May is out.
- A buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan. — A word to the wise is enough.
- Antes se coge al mentiroso que al cojo. — A liar is caught sooner than a lame man.
- No es tan fiero el león como lo pintan. — The devil is not as black as he is painted.
- No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver. — None so blind as those who will not see.
Test your Spanish
- Free Spanish level test — find your CEFR level in about two minutes
- Por vs para quiz — with an explanation for every answer
- Learn Spanish by reading the news — guide
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 level.