Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.
Quick answer
Delatar exposes wrongdoing; dilatar makes something wider, larger, or longer.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
delatar
to denounce or inform on
Use delatar for reporting a person’s offense or revealing their involvement to authorities.
dilatar
to dilate, expand, or extend
Use dilatar for increasing dimensions, volume, scope, or a period of time.
How to choose
- delatar: Choose delatar if the sentence points to reporting a person’s offense or revealing their involvement to authorities.
- dilatar: Choose dilatar if the sentence points to increasing dimensions, volume, scope, or a period of time.
Examples
A testemunha delatou os responsáveis pelo esquema.
The witness informed on those responsible for the scheme.
O calor dilatou o metal.
The heat expanded the metal.
Common trap
Their nouns preserve the vowel contrast: delação is a denunciation, while dilatação is expansion.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with delatar, then once with dilatar. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.