How to Say "spying" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “spying” is “espiando” — use 'espiando' when referring to the action of one or more people secretly watching someone or something, often in a continuous present tense..
espiando
es-PYAHN-doh/esˈpjando/
Examples
Creo que el vecino nos está espiando desde su balcón.
I think the neighbor is spying on us from his balcony.
Ella pasó la tarde espiando a los pájaros en el jardín.
She spent the afternoon watching the birds in the garden.
Siguieron espiando a pesar de que sabían que estaba mal.
They kept on spying even though they knew it was wrong.
The '-ando' Action
This is the 'ing' form of the verb. Use it with 'estar' (to be) to show that someone is doing the action right now.
Hidden Accents
While 'espiando' doesn't have an accent mark, many other forms of this verb (like 'espío') do, to keep the 'i' sound strong.
Missing the Helper Verb
Mistake: “Yo espiando a mi gato.”
Correction: Yo estoy espiando a mi gato. You need a word like 'estoy' (I am) before 'espiando' to make a full sentence.
espionaje
/ess-pyoh-NAH-heh//espjoˈnaxe/
Examples
Vimos una película de espionaje anoche.
We watched a spy movie last night.
El gobierno fue acusado de espionaje.
The government was accused of spying.
El espionaje industrial es un gran problema para las empresas tecnológicas.
Industrial espionage is a big problem for tech companies.
The '-aje' Rule
In Spanish, words that end in '-aje' are almost always masculine. This means you should use 'el' or 'un' (e.g., el espionaje, un viaje).
The 'J' Sound
The 'j' in 'espionaje' is pronounced like a strong, breathy 'h' sound. Imagine you are fogging up a pair of glasses.
Ending Confusion
Mistake: “el espionage”
Correction: el espionaje. While English uses '-age', Spanish always uses '-aje' for this sound.
Action vs. Concept
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.