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Could you tell me if it's correct and natural to describe someone who generally, not at the moment, as lying. For example:

I wouldn't believe the man. He is lying.

If it isn't correct, how would you describe someone who tends to lie? I would like to know nound and adjectives.

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You would describe someone who tends to lie as a "liar." "Is lying" means that he is lying right this moment.

The following is not a universal rule, as some verbs have unique words to do this and some have different spellings (like "liar"), but if you want to describe someone who frequently does an action, in English we usually add "-er" to the end of the verb. To describe someone who fibs a lot, a (fib being synonym for "lying"), we would call them a "fibber." Someone who codes is a coder. This grammatical structure frequently describes an occupation (a job), but can be used for anyone who does something frequently.

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  • Thank you for the answer! Could you tell me what adjective would you use to describe such a person?
    – Dmytro O'Hope
    Commented Jul 1, 2020 at 7:29
  • lying can be an adjective, as in " lying man" (a man who always lies)
    – Tang Ho
    Commented Jul 1, 2020 at 7:31
  • I would use the word "Dishonest." "He is a dishonest person." You could also use "Deceptive," "Deceitful," or "Untruthful."
    – Kevin Anderson
    Commented Jul 1, 2020 at 7:34
  • @TangHo I don't think I would use "lying man" to describe a man who always lies. The "-ing" fairly explicitly sets the phrase in the present. You could describe him as a "lying man" if he was currently lying, but you would have to be speaking very informally to get away with using "lying man" as a descriptor of someone who frequently lies, in my opinion. To me, "Lying man" in that context sounds more like the title of a movie villain than something a person would actually say.
    – Kevin Anderson
    Commented Jul 1, 2020 at 7:37
  • @Kevin Anderson Yes, I think "Steve- the lying man" could convey the meaning of "Steve- the one who always lies". But "Steve is a lying man" is ambitious (does he lie now? or he lies often?). How about " Don't believe you lying eyes!" It does imply your eyes lie often
    – Tang Ho
    Commented Jul 1, 2020 at 7:45
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"He is lying" describes his current action.

You should say: "I wouldn't believe the man. He is a liar."

Or you can say "I wouldn't believe the man. He always lies."

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