Breakdown of Nous ne leur mentons jamais.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
ne
not (used before the verb)
jamais
never / ever
leur
to them (indirect object)
mentir
to lie
Questions & Answers about Nous ne leur mentons jamais.
Why do we use leur here instead of les?
In French, the verb for to lie is mentir à (literally to lie to someone). Because it connects with the preposition à, it requires an indirect object. Leur is the indirect object pronoun for to them, while les is only used for direct objects.
Where exactly does leur go in a negative sentence like this?
Object pronouns like leur always stick directly to the front of the verb. When you make the sentence negative with ne ... jamais (never), those negative words wrap around that whole pronoun-verb package like a sandwich: ne + leur mentons + jamais.
Doesn't the word leur usually mean their?
What is the infinitive of mentons and why doesn't it have an iss in the middle?
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