plagio
/ˈplaxjo/masculine
The English word 'plagiarism' is translated into Spanish as plagio.
plagio refers to the act of copying someone else's ideas. You may also use the phrase copiar sin dar crédito to describe the act of copying without giving credit, or the informal expression robo de ideas, which literally means 'idea theft'.
Meaning: copying of someone's ideas (noun)
Which one should you use?
While plagio is the standard term, copia literal is a more formal way to specify plagiarism that specifically involves verbatim copying. To describe the person who commits the act, use plagiador for a male or plagiadora for a female.
How does it change in a sentence?
plagio is a masculine noun and is used with the definite article el.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈplaxjo/
Did you know?
- The word plagio shares a surprising ancestor with the English word 'kidnap'. The Latin root *plagium* originally referred to the crime of enslaving or stealing a person, rather than stealing ideas.
- Spanish speakers may use the phrase copia al carbón to describe a perfect, verbatim plagio, referencing old carbon paper copies.
- In some Latin American literary circles, the act of plagio is distinguished from intertextualidad, which is the intentional and artistic dialogue between texts.
Examples in context
- Este semestre suspendí a dos estudiantes por plagio.This semester I failed two students for plagiarism.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe failing students for plagio.Tatoeba #589035 by Shishir, translation #587628 by darinmex
- Esto es plagio.This is plagiarism.This sentence is useful for identifying that something is plagio.Tatoeba #1683613 by marcelostockle, translation #1682727 by Spamster
- Salió en mi defensa cuando fui acusado de plagio.She came to my defence when I was accused of plagiarism.This sentence is useful for describing being accused of plagio.Tatoeba #856749 by joronoso, translation #821139 by Swift
- Evitar el plagio es fundamental para mantener la integridad académica.Avoiding plagiarism is essential to maintain academic integrity.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing a university assignment.
- JavierLucía, ¿leíste el artículo sobre el plagio?Lucía, did you read the article about plagiarism?
- LucíaSí, es un problema grave en la universidad.Yes, it is a serious problem at the university.
- JavierEl profesor dijo que no tolerará ningún plagio.The professor said he will not tolerate any plagiarism.
- LucíaEntonces debemos citar todas nuestras fuentes.Then we must cite all of our sources.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “plagiarism” translations and entries plagio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries plagio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
