C2 · 50 words
Administrative law in Spanish
The administrative act, procedure, procurement and judicial review — how the state is bound by rules.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
La contratación pública se rige por publicidad y concurrencia: public procurement is governed by openness and competition. That is where la publicidad catches an English reader out, because the word looks like two of ours and is neither. It is advertising, certainly — la agencia de publicidad is the advertising agency. And it is publicity in the sense of attention. But in a statute it is the principle of openness: la publicidad de las actuaciones means the proceedings are held in public, and la publicidad activa is the duty to publish without being asked. So a lawyer writing about publicidad is not talking about advertisements at all — and the giveaway is that nothing is being sold.
The words
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Phrase (50)
el derecho administrativothe law that binds the person giving the ordersPhraseC2
El derecho administrativo limita a quien manda.Administrative law limits the one who gives the orders.
la potestad administrativathe power the administration has, which comes from a statutePhraseC2
La potestad administrativa nace de la ley, no del cargo.Administrative power comes from the statute, not from the post.
la potestad reglamentariathe power to make regulations, which cannot go past the statutePhraseC2
La potestad reglamentaria no puede ir más allá de la ley.The regulatory power cannot go beyond the statute.
la discrecionalidad administrativathe room to choose that the law leaves openPhraseC2
La discrecionalidad administrativa no es arbitrariedad.Administrative discretion is not arbitrariness.
el concepto jurídico indeterminadothe vague term in a statute that still has one right answerPhraseC2
El concepto jurídico indeterminado admite una sola solución justa.An indeterminate legal concept admits only one right answer.
la desviación de poderthe use of a power for a purpose other than its ownPhraseC2
La desviación de poder usa la potestad para otro fin.Misuse of power uses the authority for another purpose.
el acto administrativothe administrative act, which bites from the moment it is servedPhraseC2
El acto administrativo produce efectos desde que se notifica.The administrative act takes effect from the moment it is served.
la motivación del actothe duty to give reasons, which is what makes a defence possiblePhraseC2
La motivación del acto permite al ciudadano defenderse.The duty to give reasons allows the citizen to defend themselves.
la presunción de validezthe assumption that the act is valid until it is set asidePhraseC2
La presunción de validez obliga a cumplir mientras se recurre.The presumption of validity obliges compliance while an appeal runs.
la autotutela administrativathe power to enforce its own decisions without asking a judgePhraseC2
La autotutela administrativa permite ejecutar sin acudir al juez.Administrative self-enforcement allows action without going to a judge.
la ejecución forzosathe enforcement itself, which needs a warning firstPhraseC2
La ejecución forzosa exige apercibimiento previo.Enforced execution requires a prior warning.
la multa coercitivathe fine repeated again and again until the duty is metPhraseC2
La multa coercitiva se repite hasta que se cumple.The coercive fine is repeated until the duty is met.
el acto nulo de pleno derechothe act void from the start, which never had any effectPhraseC2
El acto nulo de pleno derecho no produce efecto alguno.An act void from the start produces no effect whatever.
el acto anulablethe act that stands until somebody has it annulledPhraseC2
El acto anulable vale mientras no se anule.A voidable act is valid until it is annulled.
la convalidación del actothe putting right of a defect that could be put rightPhraseC2
La convalidación del acto salva el defecto subsanable.Validation of the act saves a defect that can be cured.
la revocación de oficiothe withdrawal of an act by the authority itselfPhraseC2
La revocación de oficio tiene límites frente al favorable.Withdrawal on the authority's own motion has limits where the act was favourable.
la confianza legítimathe protection of somebody who reasonably relied on itPhraseC2
La confianza legítima protege a quien actuó de buena fe.Legitimate expectation protects whoever acted in good faith.
la relación de sujeción especialthe tighter hold the state has over those inside its own organisationPhraseC2
La relación de sujeción especial afecta a quien está dentro de la organización.The special relationship of subjection affects those inside the organisation.
el acto de trámitethe procedural step, which cannot be challenged on its ownPhraseC2
El acto de trámite no se recurre por separado.A procedural step cannot be challenged on its own.
la abstención del funcionariothe duty of an official to stand asidePhraseC2
La abstención del funcionario es obligatoria si hay parentesco.The official's duty to stand aside is compulsory where there is kinship.
la recusación del instructorthe party's application to have the case officer stand asidePhraseC2
La recusación del instructor la pide el interesado.The challenge to the case officer is made by the interested party.
el órgano colegiadothe body that decides by majority and keeps minutesPhraseC2
El órgano colegiado decide por mayoría y levanta acta.The collegiate body decides by majority and keeps minutes.
la delegación de competenciasthe handing of a power down to another bodyPhraseC2
La delegación de competencias se publica antes de usarla.The delegation of powers is published before it is used.
la avocación de competenciathe taking of a case back up to the body abovePhraseC2
La avocación de competencia devuelve el asunto al superior.Taking a matter up returns it to the higher body.
la desconcentración administrativathe spreading of powers within one and the same bodyPhraseC2
La desconcentración administrativa reparte competencias dentro del mismo ente.Deconcentration spreads powers within the same body.
la notificación al interesadothe serving of the act, which starts the time to appealPhraseC2
La notificación al interesado inicia el plazo de recurso.Service on the interested party starts the time to appeal.
la publicación en el boletín oficialthe publication in the official gazette, which sometimes replaces servicePhraseC2
La publicación en el boletín oficial sustituye a la notificación en ciertos casos.Publication in the official gazette replaces service in certain cases.
la vía de hechothe acting with no act behind it at allPhraseC2
La vía de hecho actúa sin acto que la ampare.Acting without any act behind it has nothing to justify it.
el recurso extraordinario de revisiónthe extraordinary review, which needs a new factPhraseC2
El recurso extraordinario de revisión exige un hecho nuevo.Extraordinary review requires a new fact.
el agotamiento de la vía administrativathe exhausting of the administrative route, which opens the courtPhraseC2
El agotamiento de la vía administrativa abre el juzgado.Exhausting the administrative route opens the court.
la inactividad de la Administraciónthe failure to act, which can be taken to court as wellPhraseC2
La inactividad de la Administración también puede llevarse al juzgado.The administration's failure to act can also be taken to court.
la medida cautelar de suspensiónthe interim order that stops the damage becoming irreversiblePhraseC2
La medida cautelar de suspensión evita el daño irreparable.The interim suspension order prevents irreparable harm.
la acción popularthe action anybody may bring, without being personally affectedPhraseC2
La acción popular se admite en materia de patrimonio y medio ambiente.The popular action is allowed in heritage and environmental matters.
la responsabilidad patrimonial de la Administraciónthe state's liability, which does not depend on anybody being at faultPhraseC2
La responsabilidad patrimonial de la Administración es objetiva.The liability of the administration is strict.
el funcionamiento anormal del serviciothe service that did not work as it shouldPhraseC2
El funcionamiento anormal del servicio genera derecho a indemnización.A service that did not work properly gives rise to compensation.
la contratación públicathe buying done by public bodies, under open rulesPhraseC2
La contratación pública se rige por publicidad y concurrencia.Public procurement is governed by openness and competition.
la mesa de contrataciónthe panel that opens the tenders in publicPhraseC2
La mesa de contratación abre las ofertas en acto público.The procurement panel opens the tenders in public.
la solvencia técnica del licitadorthe bidder's technical standing, proved by earlier workPhraseC2
La solvencia técnica del licitador se acredita con obras anteriores.The bidder's technical standing is proved by earlier work.
la oferta anormalmente bajathe bid so low that an explanation has to be asked forPhraseC2
La oferta anormalmente baja obliga a pedir explicaciones.An abnormally low bid obliges the panel to ask for explanations.
el recurso especial en materia de contrataciónthe special challenge that suspends the awardPhraseC2
El recurso especial en materia de contratación suspende la adjudicación.The special procurement challenge suspends the award.
la concesión administrativathe concession, which moves the risk onto the holderPhraseC2
La concesión administrativa traslada el riesgo al concesionario.The concession moves the risk onto the holder.
la afectación de un bien al uso públicothe dedication of a thing to public use, which puts it beyond seizurePhraseC2
La afectación de un bien al uso público lo hace inembargable.Dedicating a thing to public use makes it immune from seizure.
la autorización administrativathe permission that lifts a restriction already in placePhraseC2
La autorización administrativa remueve un límite preexistente.Administrative authorisation removes a restriction already there.
la potestad sancionadorathe power to punish, which keeps the criminal-law safeguardsPhraseC2
La potestad sancionadora respeta las garantías penales.The power to punish respects the criminal-law safeguards.
la tipicidad de la infracciónthe requirement that the offence be written down beforehandPhraseC2
La tipicidad de la infracción exige que esté escrita antes.The requirement of a written offence means it must exist beforehand.
la proporcionalidad de la sanciónthe weighing of the penalty against what was donePhraseC2
La proporcionalidad de la sanción se motiva caso por caso.The proportionality of the penalty is reasoned case by case.
la reincidencia como agravantethe repeat offence, which makes the penalty heavierPhraseC2
La reincidencia como agravante duplica la cuantía.A repeat offence as an aggravating factor doubles the amount.
el silencio positivothe silence that grants what was asked once the time is upPhraseC2
El silencio positivo concede lo pedido al pasar el plazo.Positive silence grants what was asked once the time has run.
la publicidad activathe duty to publish without anybody askingPhraseC2
La publicidad activa obliga a publicar sin que nadie lo pida.Active publication obliges the body to publish unasked.
el defensor del ciudadanothe ombudsman, who recommends and does not orderPhraseC2
El defensor del ciudadano recomienda, no ordena.The ombudsman recommends, they do not order.
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This list belongs to Law and contracts — 16 lists and 800 words that can also be practised as a whole.