How to recognise official language
Public offices, banks and landlords write in a register of their own. It addresses nobody directly, states duties in the future tense and uses set phrases that hardly ever appear in conversation. You do not need to write these texts yourself. You need to understand them reliably.
Notices and forms
Se ruega no fumar en el interior del edificio.
Please refrain from smoking inside the building.
Queda prohibido el acceso a personas ajenas al servicio.
Authorised personnel only.
El interesado deberá aportar una copia compulsada del título.
You must submit a certified copy of your degree.
Official and everyday
The following phrases come up again and again in official letters and forms. The right-hand columns show what they mean in everyday language.
Into plain Spanish
| Official | Everyday | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Es preceptivo presentar el DNI. | Hay que presentar el DNI. | Showing your ID is mandatory. |
| A los efectos de esta ley… | Para esta ley… | For the purposes of this act… |
| En virtud de lo dispuesto en el artículo 5… | Según el artículo 5… | Pursuant to Article 5… |
| Adjunte, en su caso, el certificado. | Si hace falta, adjunte el certificado. | Attach the certificate, where applicable. |
| Dicho documento caduca en mayo. | Ese documento caduca en mayo. | The said document expires in May. |
| Se tramitará con carácter urgente. | Se tramitará urgentemente. | It will be processed as a matter of urgency. |
| En el plazo de diez días hábiles. | En diez días laborables. | Within ten working days. |
The application: expone y solicita
A formal application to a Spanish public office is called an instancia or solicitud. It follows a fixed pattern: who is writing, what the facts are (EXPONE), what is being requested (SOLICITA). The verbs are in the 3rd person, because the applicant refers to themselves as a role.
Typical sentences in an application
El abajo firmante, con domicilio en la calle Mayor, 12, expone:
The undersigned, residing at Calle Mayor 12, states:
Solicita que le sea concedida la prórroga del permiso.
He requests that the permit be extended.
A efectos de notificaciones, indique una dirección de correo electrónico.
Please provide an email address for official notifications.
