Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«La verdad a medias es mentira completa.»
¿Cómo se dice «La verdad a medias es mentira completa» en inglés? A half-truth is a whole lie.
Word for word
The half truth is complete lie.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: A half-truth is a whole lie.
Used when someone omits key information to mislead. Common in discussions about honesty and manipulation.
Learning Spanish? Get one saying like this every morning, next to real news written at your level.
Hear it in a sentence
No me cuentes solo lo que te conviene; la verdad a medias es mentira completa.
Don't just tell me what suits you; a half-truth is a whole lie.
More Spanish sayings
- Una mentira repetida mil veces se convierte en verdad. — A lie repeated a thousand times becomes truth.
- Los niños y los borrachos siempre dicen la verdad. — Children and drunkards always tell the truth.
- Por la boca muere el pez. — Loose lips sink ships.
- Cobra buena fama y échate a dormir. — Build a good name and it will work for you.
- Bicho malo nunca muere. — A bad penny always turns up.
Test your Spanish
- Free Spanish level test — find your CEFR level in about two minutes
- Preterite vs imperfect 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.