Glossary
 SPANISH
Agencia tributaria
Tax office
AJD
Stamp duty
Ambulatorios
State-operated medical centres
Baccalaureate diploma
Internationally recognized diploma taught in Spanish and some International (International Baccalaureate) schools and in most of Europe – equivalent to A levels.
Bancos
Commercial banks
Basura
Charge for rubbish disposal
Bombonas
Bottled gas delivered by Repsol Butano
Café
Coffee
Café con leche
Coffee with milk
Cajas
Savings banks like UK building societies, can also mean box and cashier
Calamares
Squid
Cartilla de seguridad social
Social security card
Casera/o
Look out for this on menus – it means home made
Cercanía
Local commuter trains
Cerveza
Beer
Chiringuito
Beach bar
Comisaría de policía
National police station
Contrato privado de compraventa
Private purchase contract –you’d exchange these with the vendor on the purchase of a resale property
Condiciones resolutorias
Clauses in a private contract that allow you to pull out of a purchase without losing your deposit.
Correo
Post
Correos
Post Office
Cortijo
Andalucian farmhouse
Cuenta de imposición a plazo
Fixed deposit account
Cuenta corriente
Current account
Denuncia
A report you’d make to the police about an incident. A police report.
Educación general básica or EGB
Basic education programme taught in Spanish schools from 6 to 14 years old.
Empresa Individual
A sole trader
Escritura de compraventa
Title Deeds
Estaciόn de autobús
Bus station
Estanco
Tobacconists
Farmacia
Pharmacy
Farmacia de guardia
24-hour pharmacy
Ficha Tecnica
Card showing the technical details of a car – a requirement for all Spanish registered cars
Finca
An old farmhouse in the countryside – a country property
Gazpacho
A traditional Andalucian chilled soup
Gestor
A business agent. Someone who makes a living out of dealing with bureaucracy and paperwork for you
Guardia Civil
National police wearing green uniforms. They deal with roads, countryside, villages, prisons, borders and the environment.
Hacienda
Spain’s Ministry of Finance
Hecho/a en casa
Look out for this on menus – it means home made
IBI (Impuestos sobre bienes immuebles)
Spanish property tax, like UK council tax
IAE (Impuesto sobre actividades económicas)
Business tax
Impuesto sobre el patrimonio
Wealth tax
IVA (Impuesto sobre el valor añadido)
Value added tax or VAT
Impuesto sobre incremento de patrimonio de la venta de un bien immueble
Capital gains tax
IRPF (Impuesto sobre la renta de las personas fisicas)
Income tax
Impuesto sobre sociedades
Company or corporation tax
Impuesto sobre sucesiones y donaciones
Inheritance and gift tax
Impuestos Vehiculos
Road tax certificate
INSALUD
Spanish state healthcare, the equivalent to our NHS.
Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS)
Spain’s Social Security office
ITV (Inspecciόn Técnica de Vehiculos)
The Spanish MOT
Libreta de ahorro
Savings book account
Licencia de apertura
Opening license for any business
Ministerio de Education
Spanish Ministry of Education
NIE (Número de identificaciόn de extranjero)
Foreigner’s identification number for tax and financial matters
Notaría
Notary Public.In Spain, a sale is formally completed when the public title deeds of purchase are signed before a notary, basically a local government official.
Oficina Gubernativa de Extranjeros
National foreigner’s Office
Oiga, por favor
Attention, please – use this expression to summon the waiter
Paella
Famous Spanish seafood and rice dish
Permiso de Circulaciόn
Vehicle’s driving permit
Pescadito frito
Typical deep fried fish
P.E.T.S
Pet Travel Scheme
Policía Local
Type of police who wear blue and white uniforms and deal with parking, traffic and local
by-laws.
Policía Nacional
Type of police who wear blue uniforms or plain clothes and deal with crime in cities and major towns. They also deal with administration such as passports, ID cards and residence cards.
Plusvalía
Property tax that’s normally paid by the seller on completion but is occasionally passed on to the purchaser.
Property tax
Like the UK council tax, charged by the town hall to pay for local services
Rastro
Car boot market
Registro de Propiedad
Land Registry
Residencia
Residency - which means you’ve become a Spanish resident
Rioja
Spanish wine from the Rioja region
Selectividad
Entrance exam for Spanish universities
Sociedad Civil
A partnership where several individuals form a business
Sociedad Limitada
A limited company
SUR in English
English language newspaper for the south of Spain – a good place to look for jobs
Tapas
Famous Spanish savoury snacks, usually served in bars with a glass of wine or beer
Tarifa plana
Flat rate Internet connection
Tarjeta de seguridad social
Social security card
Té
Tea
Tráfico
Spain’s national traffic department
Trenes de Largo recorrido
Long distance express trains
Trenes Regionales
Intercity trains
Ventas
Traditional Spanish eateries in the more rural or mountainous areas of Andalucía
Vino
Wine
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