# Spanish — General Legal Sub-Lexicon

Auto-generated from translation experience. This file maps Spanish legal terms to their
correct English equivalents. It is loaded automatically when translating Spanish documents
and supplements the main English-only lexicons in `references/`.

This file grows over time as new translations are performed.

## Universal Legal Terms

| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| celebrar / suscribir / otorgar (un contrato) | enter into (an agreement) |
| constituir / establecer (un derecho) | create / grant (a right) |
| a favor de | in favour of |
| declaraciones y garantías | representations and warranties |
| obligaciones / compromisos | undertakings |
| disposiciones generales / miscelánea | miscellaneous |
| ley aplicable y jurisdicción competente | governing law and jurisdiction |
| domicilio a efectos de notificaciones | service address / chosen domicile for service (NOT "service of process" — that is *emplazamiento* / *notificación judicial*) |
| nulidad parcial / divisibilidad | severability |
| modificación / enmienda | amendment |
| notificaciones / comunicaciones | notices (both heading and body — do NOT use "Notification" or "Communication" even if the Spanish heading is singular *Comunicación*; see *Section Headings* below for the rule on disambiguating two co-existing notices clauses) |
| por tanto / en virtud de lo anterior | now, therefore, |
| sucesores y cesionarios | successors and assigns |
| persona | person |
| patrimonio | assets (commercial) / estate (succession/insolvency) |
| a cualquier título / por cualquier concepto | on any basis whatsoever |
| apartado / párrafo | paragraph |
| ejemplar / copia | counterpart |
| forma parte integrante (del presente contrato) | forms part of (this Agreement) |
| renuncia | waiver |
| cesión (del contrato) | assignment |
| legislación aplicable / derecho aplicable | applicable law |
| tercero | third party |
| autoridad competente | competent authority |
| domicilio social | registered office |
| sede efectiva / establecimiento principal | principal place of business |
| número de identificación fiscal (NIF) / CIF | tax identification number |
| número de IVA | VAT registration number |
| Registro Mercantil | commercial register / companies register |
| capital social | share capital |
| expositivo / antecedentes | recitals |
| anexos | schedules / annexes |
| orden de prelación | order of precedence |
| ausencia de cargas / libre de gravámenes | freedom from encumbrances |
| condiciones suspensivas | conditions precedent |
| por la presente / por el presente | hereby |
| contraprestación | consideration / counter-performance (the civil-law concept of reciprocal performance in a bilateral contract; use "consideration" only where the English-law doctrine is genuinely in point) |
| precio | price (in a sale contract) |
| acuerdo íntegro / integridad del acuerdo | entire agreement |
| buena fe | good faith |
| fuerza mayor | force majeure |
| requerimiento | formal notice / notice of default |
| cláusula resolutoria | termination clause |
| daños y perjuicios | damages |
| cumplimiento forzoso / ejecución forzosa | specific performance |
| solidariamente / de forma solidaria | jointly and severally |
| escritura pública | public deed / notarial deed |
| documento privado | private document |
| póliza intervenida por corredor de comercio | deed witnessed by a commercial broker |
| El primero (compareciente) / El segundo (compareciente) | The first appearing party / The second appearing party (modern, preferred in new drafting); The former / The latter (concise, when the context is unambiguous); The first-named / The second-named (traditional UK conveyancing register — acceptable but stilted). Avoid "The first one" / "The second one". |

## Cross-Reference Conventions

| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Cláusula / Artículo (internal) | Clause |
| Artículo (legislation) | Article / Section |
| apartado | paragraph |
| Anexo | Schedule (UK) / Annex (EU/international) |
| Expositivo / Antecedente | Recital |
| anterior / posterior | above / below |
| el presente contrato / la presente escritura | this Agreement / this Deed |

## Key Spanish Legislative References

| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Código Civil | Spanish Civil Code |
| Código de Comercio | Spanish Commercial Code |
| Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil (LEC) | Spanish Civil Procedure Act |
| Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) | Spanish Companies Act |
| Ley del Mercado de Valores (LMV) | Spanish Securities Market Act |
| Ley General Tributaria (LGT) | Spanish General Tax Act |
| Estatuto de los Trabajadores (ET) | Spanish Workers' Statute |
| Ley Orgánica de Protección de Datos (LOPD/LOPDGDD) | Spanish Data Protection Act |
| RGPD / Reglamento (UE) 2016/679 | GDPR / Regulation (EU) 2016/679 |
| Real Decreto | Royal Decree |
| Real Decreto-ley | Royal Decree-Law |
| Ley Orgánica | Organic Act |
| Orden Ministerial | Ministerial Order |

## Section Headings

| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| NOTIFICACIONES / COMUNICACIONES (external — to authorities or to third-party contract counterparties) | NOTICES TO PUBLIC AUTHORITIES / EXTERNAL NOTICES |
| NOTIFICACIONES / COMUNICACIONES (inter-party — service of process between the parties) | NOTICES |
| NOTIFICACIÓN / COMUNICACIÓN (singular, standalone clause heading) | NOTICE |
| LEGISLACIÓN, FUERO Y JURISDICCIÓN | GOVERNING LAW, VENUE AND JURISDICTION |
| DISPOSICIONES GENERALES / GENERALIDADES | MISCELLANEOUS (or "GENERAL PROVISIONS") |
| CONFIDENCIALIDAD | CONFIDENTIALITY |
| PROTECCIÓN DE DATOS PERSONALES | PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION |
| PRECIO Y FORMA DE PAGO | PRICE AND METHOD OF PAYMENT |
| RESPONSABILIDAD | LIABILITY |
| SUBROGACIÓN | SUBROGATION |
| CIERRE | COMPLETION (UK) / CLOSING (US) |
| CONDICIÓN PRECEDENTE | CONDITION PRECEDENT |
| TRANSMISIÓN | TRANSFER |
| GASTOS | COSTS |
| MANIFESTACIONES | REPRESENTATIONS |
| MANIFESTACIONES Y GARANTÍAS | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES |
| ESTIPULACIONES | CLAUSES (the body of the operative provisions — do not title this section "Stipulations") |
| EXPONEN | RECITALS |
| REUNIDOS | APPEARING (or "THE PARTIES" / "IN ATTENDANCE") |
| INTERVIENEN | ACTING CAPACITY (or "CAPACITY") |

**Rule on disambiguating two co-existing notices clauses.** Never render *Comunicaciones* or *Notificaciones* as "Notification" or "Communication" in a clause heading. Where a document contains two structurally distinct *Comunicaciones* / *Notificaciones* clauses — one governing external notifications to authorities or third-party contract counterparties, and one governing inter-party service of process — distinguish them as "Notices to Public Authorities" (or "External Notices") and "Notices" respectively, so the final English document does not end up with two identically titled clauses. Where the document contains only one such clause, always title it "Notices".

## Grammar Notes (Spanish-Specific)

- **Adjective placement**: Spanish generally places adjectives after nouns;
  English places them before ("obligaciones contractuales vigentes" → "existing contractual obligations")
- **"Sin perjuicio de"**: "Without prejudice to" or "notwithstanding"
- **"En su caso"**: "As the case may be" or "where applicable"
- **"No obstante lo anterior"**: "Notwithstanding the foregoing"
- **"A los efectos del presente"**: "For the purposes of this Agreement"
- **"En virtud de"**: "Pursuant to" or "by virtue of"
- **"Según proceda"**: "As appropriate" or "as applicable"
- **Double negatives**: Like Italian, Spanish legal drafting uses double negatives
  ("no podrá no" → "must" or "shall necessarily")

## Additional Lawlinguists-validated Spanish Mappings

| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| acto jurídico / negocio jurídico | juridical act / legal transaction |
| declaración de voluntad | declaration of will / manifestation of intent |
| capacidad jurídica | legal capacity / capacity to hold rights |
| capacidad de obrar | capacity to act / capacity to perform juridical acts |
| representación | representation / agency |
| mandato | mandate (Arts. 1709-1739 CC — civil-law contract of mandate; note the distinction from common-law agency) |
| poder | power of attorney (also "apoderamiento") |
| libertad de pacto / autonomía de la voluntad | freedom of contract / party autonomy (Art. 1255 CC) |
| orden público | public policy / public order |
| buenas costumbres | good morals / public morality |
| abuso del derecho | abuse of rights (Art. 7.2 CC) |
| fraude de ley | fraus legis / evasion of the law (Art. 6.4 CC) |
| actos propios | estoppel (civil-law principle of venire contra factum proprium) |
| cosa juzgada | res judicata |
| tercero de buena fe | third party in good faith (protected by registration/publicity rules) |
| bienes | assets / goods / property |
| bienes muebles | movable property / chattels |
| bienes inmuebles | immovable property / real property |
| derechos reales | rights in rem |
| propiedad | ownership |
| posesión | possession |
| usufructo | usufruct |
| servidumbre | easement / servitude |
| hipoteca | mortgage |
| prenda | pledge (Art. 1857 et seq. CC — traditional pledge with displacement) |
| prenda sin desplazamiento | non-possessory pledge (Ley de Hipoteca Mobiliaria y Prenda sin Desplazamiento 1954) |
| hipoteca mobiliaria | chattel mortgage / movable mortgage |
| condición resolutoria | condition subsequent / resolutory condition (Art. 1124 CC — implied in bilateral contracts; also used as vendor's security right) |
| condición suspensiva | condition precedent / suspensive condition (Art. 1114 CC) |
| obligación | obligation |
| obligación solidaria | joint and several obligation |
| obligación mancomunada | pro-rata / several obligation |
| obligación de medios / obligación de resultado | obligation of means / obligation of result |
| acreedor | creditor |
| deudor | debtor |
| pago | payment / performance |
| mora | default / debtor's delay |
| intereses | interest |
| intereses de demora | default interest / interest on late payment |
| intereses legales | statutory interest |
| capitalización de intereses | capitalisation of interest (subject to anatocism rules) |
| anatocismo | compound interest / anatocism (Art. 1109 CC — restrictive rule) |
| dación en pago | dation in payment / accord and satisfaction (Art. 1175 CC) |
| cesión de créditos | assignment of claims (Arts. 1526-1536 CC) |
| asunción de deuda | assumption of debt |
| novación | novation (Arts. 1203-1213 CC) |
| compensación | set-off (Arts. 1195-1202 CC) |
| confusión | merger / confusion (extinguishment when creditor and debtor become the same person) |
| condonación / quita | release / debt forgiveness |
| resolución (del contrato) | termination / rescission (Art. 1124 CC — for breach in bilateral contracts) |
| rescisión | rescission (Art. 1290 CC — for grounds enumerated by law, e.g., fraud of creditors) |
| nulidad absoluta / nulidad de pleno derecho | absolute nullity / void ab initio |
| anulabilidad / nulidad relativa | voidability / relative nullity (Arts. 1300-1314 CC — grounds include capacity, mistake, fraud, duress) |
| error | mistake (Arts. 1265-1266 CC) |
| dolo | fraud / deceit |
| violencia | duress by force |
| intimidación | duress by threat |
| responsabilidad contractual | contractual liability (Art. 1101 CC) |
| responsabilidad extracontractual | non-contractual / tort liability (Arts. 1902-1910 CC) |
| responsabilidad objetiva | strict liability |
| responsabilidad por culpa | fault-based liability |
| culpa in vigilando / culpa in eligendo | vicarious liability (Art. 1903 CC) |
| daño emergente / lucro cesante | actual loss (damnum emergens) / loss of profit (lucrum cessans) (Art. 1106 CC) |
| daño moral | moral / non-pecuniary damages |
| prescripción | limitation / statute of limitations (Arts. 1930-1975 CC) |
| caducidad | forfeiture / preclusive time-bar (distinct from limitation — not subject to tolling) |
| concurso de acreedores | bankruptcy / insolvency proceedings (Ley Concursal — Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2020) |
| administración concursal | insolvency administration |
| administrador concursal | insolvency administrator / receiver |
| convenio | composition agreement with creditors |
| liquidación | liquidation |
| reestructuración preventiva | pre-insolvency restructuring (Spanish 2022 transposition of Restructuring Directive 2019/1023) |
| planes de reestructuración | restructuring plan |
| homologación judicial | court-sanctioned restructuring (similar to a scheme of arrangement) |
