Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Este remédio expira amanhã.

In Portuguese, the simple present can express a near-future event—especially when you’re talking about schedules or fixed dates. Here, expira (from expirar) means “expires,” and saying Este remédio expira amanhã is perfectly natural. If you prefer a more “future-looking” form, you could also say Este remédio vai expirar amanhã or Este remédio expirará amanhã, but the simple present is most common in everyday speech.

What’s the difference between expirar and vencer when talking about the shelf life of something?

Both verbs can refer to an expiration date, but there are some nuances:

Expirar is a direct calque of English “to expire” and is understood, though slightly more formal.
Vencer is more idiomatic in Brazil for “go bad” or “reach the due date” (e.g., O leite vence amanhã sounds very natural).
In packaging and daily use, you’ll often see Data de vencimento (“expiration date”) rather than Data de expiração.

Could expirar mean something else?

Yes. In Portuguese:

Expirar also means “to exhale” (breathe out).
In a literary or formal context, it can mean “to die.” Context makes it clear here that we’re talking about a product’s expiration date.

Why is it este remédio instead of esse remédio or aquele remédio?