手早い答え
delatar は不正を告発し、dilatar は幅・量・期間を広げます。
確実な見分け方は、英語から訳す前に、その単語の働きを見きわめることです。
それぞれの単語の働き
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.
選び方
- 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.
例文
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.
よくある落とし穴
Their nouns preserve the vowel contrast: delação is a denunciation, while dilatação is expansion.
文脈の中で練習する
自分の実生活から文を一つ選び、二回書いてみましょう。一度はdelatarで、もう一度はdilatarで。どちらも成り立ちそうなら、意味の違いを言葉にしてみましょう。