Category: Business Spanish Courses Online – Learning Resources

This verb is usually used in a formal register and it has several meanings somehow contradictory: 1. To go to a place where one is called. E.g.: Acudió a la llamada del juez: He/She attended the summons of the judge. 2. To go somewhere or to attend something with frequency. E.g.: Los jueves acude a la ópera: He/she goes to the opera on Thursdays. 3. To go to the aid of someone. E.g.: Acudió al accidentado: He/She assisted the injured. 4. To call someone for help. E.g.: Acudir al policía: To ask to the police agent for help. 5. To use something for a purpose. In this case is also possible to use recurrir. E.g.: Acudir/recurrir a los tribunales: To go to court. Tricky, isn’t it? Ask me for help with your Spanish. dc

Masculine and Feminine noun. From the Latin pars and partis, portion of a whole.
In legal and business Spanish…
a) as a feminine noun, la parte is the person litigating in a lawsuit. E.g.: En este caso, la parte demandada será informada de ello sin dilación tras la ejecución de las medidas: In the event of this happening, the defendant shall be so informed without delay after the execution of the measures.
b) as a masculine noun, el parte is a formal communication or written document, usually brief, that by any means is sent to someone to communicate something. E.g.: si el parte de accidente no se completa, los daños serán cargados directamente al cliente: if the accident report is not filled in, the damages will be charged directly to the client. dc

Masculine noun. From the Latin vincere, to defeat. In Legal Spanish vencimiento refers to the fulfilment of the term of a debt or an obligation. E.g.: Que al vencimiento del contrato no exista opción de compra, o bien que la opción, si existe, debe permitir al arrendatario…: That upon expiration of the contract no call option exists, or rather the option, if it does exist, must allow the lessee…; Cuanto más lejana la fecha de vencimiento, mayores son las variaciones: The longer the time to maturity the greater are such variations.
In general Spanish we also use vencimiento to refer to the expiration date of a consumable product. E.g.: Hasta 6 semanas después de la fecha de vencimiento indicada en el envase, pueden durar los yogures, señala la experta: Yogurts can last up to 6 weeks after the expiration date indicated on the packaging, says the expert ( I wouldn’t try this).
In both cases the verb is vencer and the adjective vencido/a. E.g.: El contrato/la factura/el yogur vence el 6 de enero; el contrato/la factura/el yogur está vencido/a.
Vencer also means to defeat and vencido/a defeated, but in this case the noun is victoria. dc

Feminine noun. From the verb quebrar, to break, and this one from the Latin verb crepare.
In Legal Spanish a quiebra is a proceeding l by which someone is financially incapacitated due to their insolvency and all their assets are executed in favour of all of their creditors
Before the quiebra, and to avoid it, there is usually a concurso preventivo. The verb is concursar.
E.g: No se inició ningún procedimiento de quiebra en relación con esta empresa en el contexto del derrumbamiento del grupo: This company was not subject to bankruptcy proceedings in connection with the breakup of the group; El concurso preventivo se da por finalizado cuando el deudor haya cumplido íntegramente el acuerdo preventivo y cancelado…: The reorganization proceeding finalizes upon completion of all acts and cancellation of all liabilities by the debtor pursuant…
The verb quebrar, of course, is also used for arms and legs. dc

Feminine noun. From the Latin mora.

In Legal Spanish, mora refers to a delay in fulfilling an obligation—typically the failure to pay a liquid, overdue amount. The party responsible for the delay is referred to as moroso (masculine) or morosa (feminine).

You may also come across the term morosidad (also feminine), which refers more broadly to the state or condition of being in arrears. However, mora is generally preferred in legal and professional contexts due to its precision and conciseness.

📌 Example:
El año ha tenido aspectos alentadores, incluida la reducción de las cuotas en mora y el aumento del efectivo previsto disponible para el plan…
Translation: The year has had encouraging aspects, including the reduction in unpaid assessed contributions and the increase in projected cash available for the capital master plan.

A related and important legal expression is constituir en mora, which means to formally place someone in default. This typically happens when a creditor notifies the debtor—either judicially or extrajudicially—that they have failed to meet an obligation, and as a result, the legal consequences of the delay begin to apply. In many jurisdictions, this step is necessary to trigger interest accrual or enforcement actions.

📌 Example:
El acreedor puede constituir en mora al deudor mediante una intimación fehaciente.
Translation: The creditor may place the debtor in default through formal notice.

Closely related is the noun moratoria, which refers to a legal or administrative authorization allowing debtors to postpone payments—commonly seen in tax law or during periods of financial crisis.

And just to add a twist: outside of legal contexts, mora is also the Spanish word for blackberry. Proof that context is everything—especially in legal and business communication.

Need clarity like this in your professional Spanish? Contact us for bespoke Legal and Business Spanish lessons. dc