vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Mentiras" is a form of "mentira", a noun which is often translated as "lie". "Patrañas" is a form of "patraña", a noun which is often translated as "tall tale". Learn more about the difference between "mentiras" and "patrañas" below.
la mentira(
mehn
-
tee
-
rah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (falsehood)
2. (colloquial) (anatomy)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. white spot
Las mentiras de las uñas no se deben, como solía creerse, a una falta de calcio.White spots on fingernails are not caused, as was commonly believed, by a lack of calcium.
la patraña(
pah
-
trah
-
nyah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (lie)
a. tall tale
¡Sabía que no estaba enfermo! Solo era una patraña para no hacer el examen.I knew he wasn't ill! It was just a tall tale so he wouldn't have to take the exam.
¿Que tu perro se comió tus deberes? ¿Qué clase de patraña es esa?Your dog ate your homework? What kind of tall tale is that?
b. tall story
Vamos a ver con qué patraña sale Luis hoy para evitar hacer sus quehaceres.Let's see what tall story Luis comes up with today in order to avoid doing his chores.
