The grammar of the headline
Spanish headlines compress differently from English ones. Articles usually stay: Un incendio arrasa una escuela, not Incendio arrasa escuela. The cuts happen around the verb: it goes into the present, loses its auxiliary, or is replaced by a comma or a colon.
- 1
Present for past events
Yesterday's event goes into the present, which feels immediate: El Supremo anula la condena.
- 2
Participle without auxiliary, placed first
In the passive, ha sido or han sido drops out and the participle moves to the front. It agrees with the subject that follows: Detenidos dos jóvenes.
- 3
Comma instead of a verb
A comma stands in for an obvious verb, usually one of movement or stance: La ministra, a Bruselas. Grammarians call this the coma elíptica.
- 4
Colon for the quote
Speaker, colon, direct quote in Spanish angle quotes: La alcaldesa: «No habrá más recortes».
- 5
Verbless noun line
For situations and states, a noun with a complement is enough: Alerta roja en Murcia por lluvias torrenciales.
Headline and full sentence
Detenidos dos jóvenes por el robo de una joyería en Sevilla
Two young men arrested over jewellery shop robbery in Seville.
Participle first, auxiliary dropped.
La policía ha detenido a dos jóvenes por el robo de una joyería en Sevilla.
The police have arrested two young men over the robbery of a jewellery shop in Seville.
Full sentence with agent and perfect tense.
La ministra, a Bruselas para negociar los fondos
Minister heads to Brussels to negotiate funds.
The comma stands for viaja.
La ministra viaja hoy a Bruselas para negociar los fondos europeos.
The minister is travelling to Brussels today to negotiate the EU funds.
The missing verb is back.
La alcaldesa: «No habrá más recortes en el transporte»
Mayor: 'No more cuts to public transport'
A colon instead of a reporting verb.
Where English stacks nouns, Spanish chains them with de: la subida del precio de la luz, the electricity price rise. The order is reversed: the head comes first, subida is the rise, and everything after it narrows it down.
Who says so, and how sure is it?
In a news report, every reporting verb is a judgement. Neutral verbs simply pass the statement on. Others imply that it is true, or distance the paper from it. Choosing the verb means choosing how much the paper itself vouches for.
Verbos de atribución
| Verb | Effect | English |
|---|---|---|
| afirmar, declarar, señalar, explicar | neutral, just reports | say, state, point out |
| reconocer, admitir | statement taken as true, often awkward for the speaker | acknowledge, admit |
| asegurar, sostener, insistir en | speaker insists, truth left open | assure, maintain, insist |
| alegar, aducir | justification, often with a hint of doubt | claim, put forward |
| denunciar, advertir, lamentar | speaker accuses, warns or regrets | condemn, warn, regret |
One statement, three verbs
El director afirmó que la empresa no tenía deudas.
The director said the company had no debts.
Neutral.
El director aseguró que la empresa no tenía deudas.
The director insisted the company had no debts.
He stands by it, the paper doesn't commit.
El director reconoció que la empresa tenía deudas.
The director admitted the company had debts.
The debts are presented as fact.
Setting the distance from the source
Besides the verb, source formulas, adjectives and the verb's mood control how far the paper distances itself from a piece of information. There is a fixed ladder from confirmed report to rumour.
From fact to rumour
El consejero dimitió ayer por la tarde.
The regional minister resigned yesterday afternoon.
The paper vouches for the fact.
Según fuentes del partido, el consejero dimitió ayer por la tarde.
According to party sources, the regional minister resigned yesterday afternoon.
The source carries the responsibility.
Según ha podido saber este diario, el consejero dimitió ayer por la tarde.
This newspaper has learned that the regional minister resigned yesterday afternoon.
Exclusive information, source not named.
El consejero habría dimitido ayer por la tarde.
The regional minister is said to have resigned yesterday afternoon.
Unconfirmed, the paper keeps the greatest distance.
In court the presumption of innocence applies, and the press respects it in its wording, much like English alleged: el presunto autor del robo, la supuesta estafa. With the verb, presuntamente does the same job: El acusado presuntamente desvió dos millones.
