Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«La mentira tiene patas cortas.»
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.
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.
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.