C2 · 50 words
Formal turns of phrase in Spanish
Set phrases that live in the essay, the judgment and the leading article, and almost never in talk.
Two entries here begin with a word that is not the English « so » and is not the Spanish one either. So was the ordinary Spanish preposition for « under », straight from Latin sub, and it died out — except inside a handful of fixed phrases, where it is all that is left of it: so pena de, under penalty of; so pretexto de, under the pretext of; so capa de and so color de, under cover of. Nowhere else. Modern Spanish says bajo for under and así que or tan for our « so », so a sentence beginning so pena… is not drawing a conclusion — it is naming what happens if you do not.
The words
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Phrase (50)
a la sazónat that time, in the days being describedPhraseC2
El ministro, a la sazón diputado, votó en contra.The minister, at that time a member of parliament, voted against.
en aras defor the sake of the aim namedPhraseC2
Se suprimió el epígrafe en aras de la brevedad.The section was cut for the sake of brevity.
a la postrein the end, when everything has run its coursePhraseC2
A la postre, la reforma no cambió nada.In the end, the reform changed nothing.
a fuer despeaking as one who is, and therefore bound to say itPhraseC2
A fuer de sincero, el informe es flojo.Speaking as an honest man, the report is weak.
so pena deunder penalty of losing what followsPhraseC2
Debe presentarse, so pena de perder el derecho.He must appear, under penalty of losing the right.
so pretexto deunder the pretext given, which is not the real reasonPhraseC2
Se aplazó so pretexto de falta de datos.It was put off under the pretext of missing data.
a instancias deat the urging of the person who asked for itPhraseC2
Se abrió el expediente a instancias del fiscal.The file was opened at the urging of the prosecutor.
a expensas deat the cost of, paid for out of something elsePhraseC2
Creció a expensas de la calidad.It grew at the cost of quality.
en detrimento deto the detriment of, at the cost of somebody in particularPhraseC2
La medida va en detrimento de los pequeños.The measure works to the detriment of the small ones.
en menoscabo deat the cost of impairing something that was owedPhraseC2
Se aceleró el trámite en menoscabo de la audiencia.The procedure was hurried through at the cost of the hearing.
en aras a la seguridad jurídicafor the sake of legal certaintyPhraseC2
Se fijó un plazo en aras a la seguridad jurídica.A time limit was set for the sake of legal certainty.
salvo lo dispuesto enexcept for what the named article lays downPhraseC2
Se archiva, salvo lo dispuesto en el artículo siguiente.It is filed away, except for what the following article lays down.
a tenor deaccording to what the text lays downPhraseC2
A tenor de lo dispuesto, procede desestimar.According to what is laid down, the claim must be dismissed.
a la luz dein the light of what is now knownPhraseC2
A la luz de los nuevos datos, cambia el cuadro.In the light of the new data, the picture changes.
habida cuenta detaking account of the circumstance namedPhraseC2
Habida cuenta del retraso, se amplía el plazo.Taking account of the delay, the time limit is extended.
al amparo deunder the protection of a rule that authorises itPhraseC2
Actúa al amparo de un poder notarial.He acts under the protection of a notarial power of attorney.
por cuantosince, giving the reason for what has just been decidedPhraseC2
Se rechaza, por cuanto no reúne los requisitos.It is rejected, since it does not meet the requirements.
toda vez quesince the fact is settled and cannot be got roundPhraseC2
Toda vez que el plazo venció, no cabe recurso.Since the time limit has run out, no appeal lies.
siquiera seaif only, even in passingPhraseC2
Conviene mencionarlo, siquiera sea de pasada.It is worth mentioning, if only in passing.
bien quealthough, with a reservation keptPhraseC2
Aceptó la propuesta, bien que con reparos.He accepted the proposal, although with reservations.
cuando menosat the least, whatever else may be truePhraseC2
El dato es, cuando menos, discutible.The figure is, at the least, open to argument.
cuando másat the most, and no more than thatPhraseC2
Serán, cuando más, dos semanas.It will be two weeks at the most.
a lo sumoat the very most, and only justPhraseC2
A lo sumo consiguió aplazarlo.At the very most he managed to have it put off.
ni con muchonot nearly, and not by a wide margin eitherPhraseC2
No basta, ni con mucho.It is not enough, not by a long way.
con crecesamply, and by a wide marginPhraseC2
Superó con creces lo previsto.It exceeded what was expected by a wide margin.
a todas lucesplainly, by any way of looking at itPhraseC2
La conclusión es a todas luces prematura.The conclusion is plainly premature.
a ciencia ciertafor certain, with the thing actually knownPhraseC2
Nadie sabe a ciencia cierta qué ocurrió.Nobody knows for certain what happened.
en último términoin the end, once everything else is set asidePhraseC2
En último término, es una cuestión de método.In the end, it is a question of method.
en puridadstrictly speaking, if the term is taken exactlyPhraseC2
En puridad no se trata de un contrato.Strictly speaking it is not a contract.
de suyoof itself, with nothing added from outsidePhraseC2
El texto es de suyo ambiguo.The text is ambiguous of itself.
por endeand therefore, as the consequence of thatPhraseC2
No hubo daño y, por ende, no hay responsabilidad.There was no harm and therefore no liability.
amén debesides, over and above what has been saidPhraseC2
Amén de costoso, resulta lento.Besides being expensive, it turns out slow.
valga la redundanciathe repetition is deliberate, and excusedPhraseC2
Es un problema problemático, valga la redundancia.It is a problematic problem, the repetition being deliberate.
dicho sea de pasosaid in passing, off the main line of the argumentPhraseC2
El informe, dicho sea de paso, llegó tarde.The report, said in passing, arrived late.
huelga decirit hardly needs saying, and is said anywayPhraseC2
Huelga decir que el plazo es improrrogable.It hardly needs saying that the time limit cannot be extended.
no en vanonot for nothing, which is why it turned out soPhraseC2
No en vano lleva veinte años en el cargo.Not for nothing has he been twenty years in the post.
a mayor abundamientoand beyond that, one more reason that is not neededPhraseC2
A mayor abundamiento, el testigo se contradijo.And beyond that, the witness contradicted himself.
si procedeif the case calls for itPhraseC2
Deberá aportar, si procede, la traducción jurada.He must produce, if the case calls for it, the sworn translation.
llegado el casoif the case actually arisesPhraseC2
Llegado el caso, se recurrirá.If the case arises, an appeal will be lodged.
a reserva desubject to what is still to be decidedPhraseC2
Se aprueba a reserva de lo que decida el pleno.It is approved subject to what the full session decides.
salvo mejor criteriosubject to a better judgement than the writer's ownPhraseC2
Salvo mejor criterio, procede desestimar.Subject to a better judgement, the claim must be dismissed.
a propósito deon the occasion of, prompted byPhraseC2
A propósito del aniversario, se publicó un ensayo.On the occasion of the anniversary, an essay was published.
en lo tocante aas regards, on the point ofPhraseC2
En lo tocante al plazo, no hay discusión.As regards the time limit, there is no argument.
por lo que hace aas regards, so far as this one thing goesPhraseC2
Por lo que hace al coste, faltan datos.As regards the cost, the figures are missing.
a la par queat the same time as, and at the same ratePhraseC2
Creció la demanda a la par que el precio.Demand grew at the same time as the price.
otro tanto cabe deciras much can be said of the other onePhraseC2
Otro tanto cabe decir del segundo informe.As much can be said of the second report.
no es baladíit is not a trifle, whatever it may look likePhraseC2
La distinción no es baladí.The distinction is not a trifle.
sin ambageswithout going round about itPhraseC2
Lo dijo sin ambages.He said it without going round about it.
con harta frecuenciaall too often, oftener than it should bePhraseC2
Con harta frecuencia se confunden ambos conceptos.All too often the two concepts are confused.
a despecho dein spite of, and without regard to itPhraseC2
A despecho de las críticas, siguió adelante.In spite of the criticism, he carried on.
This list belongs to Language and expression — 22 lists and 1102 words that can also be practised as a whole.
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