🧠 Meaning
The phrase “disponer de” is a versatile and high-frequency structure in legal, business, and administrative Spanish. It translates most often as:
to have at one’s disposal / to have access to / to possess
It expresses availability, control, or legal authority over something—be it resources, property, rights, or time.
🏛 In Legal and Administrative Spanish
In formal settings, “disponer de” is often used in contracts, official documents, and regulations to refer to:
- having ownership or control over goods or assets,
- using or allocating something (especially money, time, space, personnel),
- or holding a legal right to act.
Examples:
- El arrendatario no podrá disponer del local para fines distintos a los pactados.
The tenant may not use the premises for purposes other than those agreed upon. - La empresa dispone de tres semanas para presentar alegaciones.
The company has three weeks to submit its objections. - El acusado no disponía de los medios económicos para afrontar la multa.
The defendant did not have the financial means to pay the fine.
🧱 Grammar Note
“Disponer de” is always followed by a noun (not an infinitive verb):
✅ Correct: El hotel dispone de 50 habitaciones.
🚫 Incorrect: El hotel dispone hacer reservas.
💼 In Business & Corporate Use
In business contexts, disponer de is often used to describe:
- access to funding, facilities, infrastructure
- availability of personnel, technical capacity
- time or scheduling flexibility
Business Examples:
- ¿Dispone usted de tiempo para una reunión esta semana?
Do you have time for a meeting this week? - El cliente dispone de una línea de crédito preaprobada.
The client has a pre-approved line of credit.
🇬🇧 English Equivalents
| Spanish | English Equivalent |
|---|---|
| disponer de recursos | to have resources at one’s disposal |
| disponer de tiempo | to have time |
| disponer de una propiedad | to hold / have access to / own a property |
| no disponer de medios | to lack the means |
Note: Avoid translating it literally as “dispose of” — the English “to dispose of” means to throw away or get rid of, which is a false friend here. dc
