Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Vocês nunca dizem uma mentira?

Vocês nunca dizem uma mentira?

Do you never tell a lie?

Breakdown of Vocês nunca dizem uma mentira?

vocês

you (pl)

a / an / some (all forms)

Questions & Answers about Vocês nunca dizem uma mentira?

What verb is dizem and why does it look like that?

It is the present tense of the irregular verb dizer (to say / to tell). Because the subject is vocês (you, plural), we use the third-person plural form. The letter z is part of the root in most of its present tense forms, but watch out: the "I" form is completely different (digo).

Why does dizem translate here as "tell" rather than "say"?

In Portuguese, the verb dizer covers both "to say" and "to tell". So, dizer uma mentira translates naturally to "telling a lie" in English. We also use dizer for telling the truth (dizer a verdade).

Why isn't there a não in this sentence to make it negative?

In Portuguese, if a negative word like nunca (never) comes before the verb, you do not need não. If nunca came after the verb, you would need a double negative to make it grammatically correct: Vocês não dizem nunca uma mentira?

Could I leave out vocês and just ask Nunca dizem uma mentira?

Yes, you can drop the pronoun because Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the context is obvious. However, since dizem can mean "they tell" or "you (plural) tell", keeping vocês makes it completely clear who you are talking to.