Espiar vs. Expiar: Peek or Atone — Practice

Use espiar for looking secretly

Espiar with s means to look at or observe something secretly, discreetly, or from a hidden position. It may appear in a playful context, such as peeking at a surprise, or in a serious context involving surveillance. The sentence supplies the tone.

The related noun espião means spy. Use espiar when someone is watching or trying to see something without being noticed.

Use expiar for atonement or a penalty

Expiar with x means to atone for a fault or undergo a penalty. It is more formal and less common in everyday conversation than pagar pelo erro (pay for a mistake) or reparar o dano (make amends).

The word describes facing consequences or making amends, not secretly watching. Check for an idea of guilt, fault, punishment, or atonement before choosing expiar.

Remember: Espiar is to peek or spy. Expiar is to atone for a fault or undergo a penalty.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. The child tried to peek at the present before the party.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A criança tentou espiar o presente antes da festa.

2. He looked through the window to see who arrived.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele espiou pela janela para ver quem chegou.

3. The agents were accused of spying on their rivals.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Os agentes foram acusados de espiar os rivais.

4. He tried to atone for his guilt by helping the community.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele tentou expiar a culpa ajudando a comunidade.

5. The character atones for past mistakes.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A personagem expia os erros do passado.

6. She apologized and tried to make amends.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela pediu desculpas e procurou reparar o dano.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Espiar is to peek or spy. Expiar is to atone for a fault or undergo a penalty.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Espiar vs. Expiar: Peek or Atone? lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.