Four words for “to expire”

Saying “To expire”

Today’s slidecast is about words that mean “to expire” in Spanish.

• expirar
• caducar
• terminar and
• vencer

Todos significan “to expire” pero ¡no son intercambiables! Yes, all mean “to expire” but they’re not interchangeable.
For example, the verb, “expirar,” means “to expire,” but it is used almost exclusively as a rather formal euphemism for “to die.”

While we could use expirar to convey, “The president’s term expires in January,” “oh no, my plane ticket expired last week!” Or “that carton of milk expired last week,” better to use other verbs to avoid sounding like you’re calling the milk and plane ticket “dead”. I mean, you’ll get a chuckle or a knowing smile, but that may not be what you are looking for.

To say a term of office expires, we use the verb “terminar,” which also means to finish, to complete, or to end up. So we can say, “El mandato del presidente Bush termina en enero.”

We use “caducar” most often when speaking of the expiration of a ticket, license, passport or other document: “Tengo el pasaporte caducado” would be “My passport is expired.” “Señor, su tarjeta está caducada” is, “Sir, your card is expired.” And “Nunca tome los medicamentos caducados” would be “Never take expired medicines.”

When vencer means “to expire” — vencer also has roughly ten other definitions, including to defeat and to fall due (for payment) — “vencer” and “caducar” are equivalent. So, you’ll see on a warning label, “No compre los alimentos vencidos.” Don’t buy food products that are expired.

However, you must use vencer when speaking of the expiration of legal obligations and payment due dates. We’re planning a future slidecast on the various meanings and uses of vencer.

Hey, leave a comment! Let us know what you think or any questions you may have. And if we are wrong, tell us that, too. And if you are a native Spanish speaker who would like to appear on a slidecast via Skype (so that you can correct David’s cute but often faulty accent), please let us know!