legal
adjectiveCEFR B2
What does “legal” mean in English?
legal — permitted by law; relating to the law
legal — permitted by law; relating to the law (acto legal, requisito legal)
Example sentences
El equipo jurídico verificó que todas las cláusulas del contrato eran legales y conformes a la normativa vigente en España.
The legal team verified that all the contract clauses were legal and in accordance with current regulations in Spain.
El marco legal aplicable a las plataformas digitales está en proceso de revisión a nivel europeo para adaptarlo a los nuevos modelos de negocio.
The legal framework applicable to digital platforms is under review at the European level to adapt it to new business models.
How to use it
Legal means 'legal' — permitted or established by law; relating to the law. Common collocations: requisito legal, marco legal, asesoría legal, responsabilidad legal, acto legal. Ser: always ser. Antonym: ilegal. Register: formal, professional, journalistic. Note: in colloquial Spanish, legal also means 'trustworthy/decent' (ese tío es legal = that guy is straight/trustworthy).
Common mistake
Legal ≠ legítimo: legal means in accordance with law; legítimo means justified, rightful, or morally legitimate. An action can be legal but not legítimo (technically within the law but ethically questionable), and vice versa.