Capacity — in Spanish and Italian.

Definition

The legal ability to hold rights and undertake obligations.

Spanish and Italian equivalents

In Spanish, Capacity is rendered as Capacidad; in Italian, as Capacità giuridica / d'agire. Italian likewise admits more than one form (Capacità giuridica / d'agire), with the choice driven by the document type and context. Spanish equivalents follow Argentine (Rioplatense) usage where it differs from European Spanish. In a certified translation the equivalent is chosen for the target jurisdiction; where the concept has no exact counterpart, the source term is kept alongside a functional explanation.

Translating Civil Law & Obligations terminology

Spanish and Italian private law is organised around a civil code and the law of obligations, categories that English-speaking lawyers meet only in fragments. Terms such as obligación/obbligazione, negocio jurídico/negozio giuridico or buena fe/buona fede carry precise, code-defined meanings that the nearest English words only approximate. When translating contracts and opinions from these systems, the certified translator keeps the structure of the source concept visible rather than forcing it into an American mould.

Related terms in Civil Law & Obligations

• Obligation — Obligación
• Creditor — Acreedor
• Debtor — Deudor
• Debt — Deuda
• Performance — Cumplimiento
• Non-performance / Breach — Incumplimiento
• Default / Delay — Mora
• Set-off — Compensación
• Novation — Novación
• Assignment of claim — Cesión de crédito
• Subrogation — Subrogación
• Joint and several liability — Responsabilidad solidaria
• Guarantee / Surety — Fianza / Garantía
• Pledge — Prenda
• Mortgage — Hipoteca
• Lien / Charge — Gravamen / Privilegio
• Incapacity — Incapacidad
• Legal personality — Personalidad jurídica
• Natural person — Persona física / humana
• Legal person / Entity — Persona jurídica
• Domicile — Domicilio
• Residence — Residencia
• Good faith — Buena fe
• Bad faith — Mala fe
• Fraud — Dolo / Fraude
• Mistake / Error — Error
• Duress — Violencia / Intimidación
• Undue influence — Aprovechamiento indebido
• Nullity — Nulidad
• Voidability — Anulabilidad
• Rescission — Rescisión / Resolución
• Unjust enrichment — Enriquecimiento sin causa
• Negotiorum gestio — Gestión de negocios ajenos
• Prescription (acquisitive) — Usucapión / Prescripción adquisitiva
• Restitution — Restitución
• Solidarity (active/passive) — Solidaridad activa/pasiva
• Conditional obligation — Obligación condicional
• Term / Time obligation — Obligación a plazo
• Indemnity — Indemnización
• Civil liability — Responsabilidad civil
• Force majeure — Fuerza mayor
• Act of God / Fortuitous event — Caso fortuito
• Capacity to contract — Capacidad de contratar
• Heir of obligations — Sucesor en las obligaciones
• Right (subjective) — Derecho subjetivo
• Duty — Deber
• Fungible goods — Bienes fungibles
• Defect of consent — Vicio del consentimiento
• Simulation — Simulación
• Latent defect — Vicio oculto / redhibitorio
• Tender of payment — Oferta de pago / consignación
• Confusion (of rights) — Confusión
• Remission of debt — Remisión / condonación de deuda
• Earnest / Down payment — Anticipo / Seña

Browse the full Civil Law & Obligations area, return to the dictionary index, or search all 712 terms in the interactive dictionary (also available as a PDF).

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This page is for general orientation only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for advice from licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Terminology varies between countries and between civil-law and common-law systems; the equivalents shown here are the most common in cross-border practice.