lie

sdraiarsi, giacere

Stare con il corpo disteso in orizzontale su un letto, sul pavimento o su un’altra superficie.

In inglese semplice: To rest with your body flat on a bed, floor, or other surface.

• Lie down and rest.
• She lay on her back in the grass.
• I have lain awake for hours.

Come si usa: lie down (You should lie down for a while.); lie on something (He lay on the sofa all afternoon.)

Sinonimi: recline

Contrari: stand, sit

Espressioni comuni: lie down, lie on something, lie in bed, lie flat

mentire

Dire o scrivere qualcosa sapendo che non è vero.

In inglese semplice: To say or write something you know is not true.

• Please do not lie to me.
• He lied about where he had been.
• Are you lying to protect your friend?

Come si usa: lie to someone (He lied to his parents.); lie about something (She lied about her age.)

Sinonimi: tell lies

Contrari: tell the truth

Espressioni comuni: lie to someone, lie about something, lie under oath

trovarsi, giacere

Essere in un luogo preciso senza muoversi.

In inglese semplice: To be in a particular place without moving.

• His coat lies on the floor.
• The letter lay unopened on her desk.
• Old toys were lying under the bed.

Come si usa: lie + place (Her keys lay on the kitchen table.)

Sinonimi: rest, sit

Espressioni comuni: lie on something, lie under something, lie untouched, lie flat

ingannare, mentire

Far apparire qualcosa diverso da come è realmente.

In inglese semplice: To make something seem different from how it really is.

• The camera can lie.
• These photographs lie about the size of the room.
• Statistics sometimes lie when important details are missing.

Sinonimi: mislead, deceive

Espressioni comuni: lie about something, camera can lie, numbers never lie

bugia, menzogna

Qualcosa che una persona dice o scrive sapendo che non è vero.

In inglese semplice: Something someone says or writes that they know is not true.

• That is a lie.
• She told a lie to avoid trouble.
• Nobody believed his lies anymore.

Come si usa: lie about something (His story was a lie about his past.)

Sinonimi: untruth, falsehood

Contrari: truth

Espressioni comuni: tell a lie, a complete lie, lie about something