circunstancia
nounCEFR B2
What does “circunstancia” mean in English?
circumstance, condition
circumstance, condition (a fact or condition that shapes a situation; dadas las circunstancias; circunstancia atenuante)
Example sentences
Dadas las circunstancias excepcionales, el tribunal decidió conceder una prórroga al plazo de presentación de alegaciones.
Given the exceptional circumstances, the court decided to grant an extension to the deadline for submission of arguments.
Las circunstancias socioeconómicas de una persona condicionan sus oportunidades, aunque no las determinan por completo.
A person's socioeconomic circumstances shape their opportunities, although they do not determine them entirely.
La defensa alegó una circunstancia atenuante al demostrar que su cliente actuó bajo una presión psicológica extraordinaria.
The defence alleged a mitigating circumstance by demonstrating that its client had acted under extraordinary psychological pressure.
How to use it
La circunstancia (noun, feminine) means 'circumstance, situation, condition'. At B2 it is frequent in formal, legal, and analytical discourse. Core collocations: las circunstancias del caso/actuales; en estas circunstancias (under these circumstances); una circunstancia atenuante/agravante (mitigating/aggravating circumstance — legal); las circunstancias socioeconómicas; dadas las circunstancias (given the circumstances). The plural is almost always used when describing a situation's conditions. Distinct from situación (a broader, more everyday term) and coyuntura (a specific short-term economic or political conjuncture).
Common mistake
Circunstancia is a formal/written register word — in conversation, situación or contexto is more natural. The legal compound circunstancia atenuante/agravante (mitigating/aggravating circumstance) is a must-know for B2 reading tasks involving legal news. 'Under no circumstances' = en ningún caso or bajo ninguna circunstancia (the latter is formal).