espía
/esˈpia/masculine
The English word spy is translated into Spanish as espía.
espía refers to a person who secretly watches others. To describe the action of acting as a spy, you can use the verb espiar, while the verb avistar is used specifically when you mean to spot something or someone from a distance.
Meaning: person who secretly watches (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
espía is a common gender noun, so it can be used for both masculine and feminine subjects. While the word itself remains espía, you indicate the gender of the person by changing the article used before it. The plural form is espías.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˈpia/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word espía shares an ancient root with the English word 'spectacles' and 'inspect'. Both come from the Proto-Indo-European root *speḱ-, which means 'to observe' or 'to see'.
- While espía is the noun for the person, a common mistake for learners is using the verb espiar to mean 'to watch' in a general sense, whereas in Spanish, it carries a heavy connotation of intrusive or illicit surveillance.
- In some contexts, the verb espiar can be used to describe the act of 'listening in' on a conversation, not just visually watching someone.
Examples in context
- No eres un espía, ¿o sí?You're not a spy, or are you?This sentence uses espía to express suspicion about someone's identity.Tatoeba #721930 by Shishir, translation #2587237 by Dejo
- ¿No eres un espía, o sí?You aren't a spy, are you?This sentence uses espía to ask for confirmation regarding whether someone is a spy.Tatoeba #1392648 by marcelostockle, translation #16634 by saeb
- Serías un espía excelente.You would make an excellent spy.This sentence uses espía to describe someone's potential capability in the role.Tatoeba #7317424 by arh, translation #3163253 by Hybrid
- El agente secreto lleva a cabo una misión importanteThe secret agent is carrying out an important mission
- El agente de inteligencia trabaja encubierto para obtener informaciónThe intelligence agent works undercover to gather information
- El espía descubrió los planes del enemigoThe spy uncovered the enemy's plans
- El agente encubierto investigó a fondo al cartelThe undercover agent thoroughly investigated the cartel
- El chivato trabajaba como espía en la organización criminalThe snitch worked as a spy within the criminal organization
- El agente secreto se camufló entre la multitudThe secret agent blended in with the crowd
- La espía llevaba una identidad encubiertaThe spy had an undercover identity
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are watching a movie about secret agents.
- JavierEse espía es muy inteligente.That spy is very intelligent.
- LucíaSí, pero es muy peligroso.Yes, but he is very dangerous.
- JavierMe gustaría ser un espía.I would like to be a spy.
- LucíaTú no tienes secretos, Javier.You don't have any secrets, Javier.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spy” translations and entries espía, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries espía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
