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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

Maculine noun. From the Latin patrimonium, set of family assets, generally real estate, that are legally owned by a head of the family.
In Legal Spanish, patrimonio is a set of assets belonging to a natural or legal person, or assigned to a purpose, susceptible to economic estimation.
The word is also used in expression such as patrimonio nacional and patrimonio histórico: national and historical heritage.
The adjective is patrimonial. E.g: A partir de ese momento, lógicamente, la responsabilidad patrimonial de los resultados de Italstrade corresponderá por completo a Astaldi: Naturally, from that point Astaldi undertakes entire financial responsibility for Italstrade’s results. dc

Adjective. From the Latin vigentis; which is in force. Said of a law, an ordinance, a style or a custom: that is in force and observance.
We use it in expression such as ley vigente: current law; contrato vigente: current contract; constitución vigente: current constitution. E.g: La legislación vigente no brinda suficiente protección a las ballenas: The current legislation gives insufficient protection for whales; Las leyes aprobadas hace dos años aún siguen vigentes: The laws passed two years ago still remain in force; La legislación vigente otorga varios derechos a los ciudadanos: The standing legislation grants several rights to the citizens.
It is also possible to say en vigor, but it is less common in the professional field. ley en vigor, contrato en vigor, constitución en vigor.
The noun is la vigencia. dc

Masculine noun. From the Latin placitum, pleasant for all, agreed, adjusted. In its current use, plazo comes from dies placitus, agreed day.
In Legal Spanish, plazo refers to the term or time designated for something. We use it in expressions such as corto/mediano/largo plazo: short/medium/long-term. E.g: También incluye plazo a término para los permisos de registro: It also includes a due date for registration permits.
From plazo we have the verb aplazar: to postpone; and emplazar: to summon the defendant indicating the period within which they will need to appear at the trial to exercise their defences, exceptions or counterclaims. The action of aplazar is called aplazamiento and of emplazar is called emplazamiento (masculine noun); Entre el emplazamiento del demandado y la audiencia, deben mediar por lo menos tres días, término que será ampliado en razón de la distancia: There must be at least three days between the issuing of the summons to the respondent and the hearing, based on distances. The person who emplaza is called emplazante. This verb can also be reflexive: emplazarse: to give each other a term; e.g.: Rusia y Ucrania se emplazan a seguir negociando mientras el Kremlin intensifica su ofensiva. dc

Noun. From the Latin testis, head. The one who gives his head/face. Person who testifies or attests something. Still today in Spanish the expression dar la cara, tho give the face, means both to face the consequences and to show one’s own face.
Please note that the female forms of this noun is la testigo and las testigos.
The verb is testimoniar: to testify; the adjective is testimonial, e.g: declaración testimonial: witness statement.
There is another noun with the same root: el/un testimonio; which apart from meaning witness statement it is also the word used in the legal field to speak about a copy of a document, e.g: Adjunto el testimonio de la escritura: I am attaching the copy of the deed. It makes sense as a copy simply testifies the original document. dc