theft / a thief
Hurto o robo en sentido general / persona que roba
“The theft happened on a crowded bus; nobody noticed the thief taking the phone.”
Vocabulary · Working prototype
Crime and punishment
Describe everyday and online crime, follow a case and discuss safety, justice and prevention.
82 entries12 topic areas29 consolidate · 53 extend
Consolidate Useful foundations to revisitExtend Add gradually when needed
Everyday crime: stealing
Distinguish the act, the person and what happened.
steal something / rob someone or a place
Robar algo / robar a una persona o en un lugar; estructuras diferentes
“Someone stole her bag; a different shop nearby was robbed last month.”
pickpocketing / a pickpocket
Hurto de bolsillos o bolsos, normalmente sin que la víctima lo note / carterista
“Pickpocketing can be difficult to notice in a crowded station.”
shoplifting / a shoplifter
Hurto de productos en una tienda / persona que lo comete
“The shop has changed its layout after several cases of shoplifting.”
burglary / a burglar
Entrada ilegal en un edificio con intención de cometer un delito, normalmente robar / persona que la comete
“The burglary happened while the family were away; someone had entered through a window.”
robbery / a robber
Robo con uso de fuerza o amenazas / persona que lo comete; descripción general, no equivalencia jurídica exacta
“The robbery left the shop assistant frightened, even though nobody was physically hurt.”
mugging / a mugger
Atraco a una persona en un lugar público / atracador
“He reported the mugging and cancelled his bank cards that evening.”
Other types of crime
Useful everyday and news vocabulary without technical legal detail.
vandalism / a vandal
Daños deliberados a bienes, especialmente públicos / persona que los causa
“The broken bus shelter was an act of vandalism, not normal wear and tear.”
fraud / a fraudster
Engaño para obtener dinero u otra ventaja de forma ilícita / persona que lo comete
“The fraudster advertised a flat that was not theirs and asked for a deposit.”
assault
Agresión; el alcance legal del término varía según la jurisdicción
“The news report described the incident as an assault; the investigation is still open.”
harassment / harass
Acoso / acosar
“Repeated threatening messages can be a form of harassment.”
stalking / a stalker
Persecución o vigilancia repetida y no deseada de una persona / quien la realiza
“The report describes stalking, not simply an unwanted conversation.”
blackmail / blackmail someone
Chantaje / chantajear a alguien amenazando con divulgar información
“The character is being blackmailed over an old photograph.”
bribery / a bribe
Soborno como práctica / dinero u otra ventaja ofrecida para influir indebidamente
“The official was accused of accepting a bribe; the court has not reached a verdict.”
murder / a murderer
Asesinato, de forma general / persona que lo ha cometido; las categorías legales no coinciden exactamente entre países
“The documentary examines a murder case and how the police identified the offender.”
Reporting a crime
Explain what happened and distinguish certainty from doubt.
report a crime to the police
Denunciar o comunicar un delito a la policía
“She reported the theft to the police after noticing her wallet was missing.”
give a statement / describe what happened
Prestar declaración / describir lo ocurrido
“The witness gave a statement but was clear about the details she could not remember.”
a description / identify someone
Descripción / identificar a alguien
“The witness gave a description, but could not confidently identify the person.”
Investigation and charges
Useful collocations for following a report or telling what happened.
investigate / an investigation
Investigar / investigación
“The police are investigating several similar reports in the same area.”
evidence / a clue
Pruebas o indicios en conjunto / pista; evidence es incontable
“There was a useful clue in the photograph, but not enough evidence to identify anyone.”
CCTV footage
Grabaciones de cámaras de vigilancia; footage es incontable
“The police asked local shops whether they had CCTV footage of the street.”
fingerprints / digital evidence
Huellas dactilares / pruebas digitales
“The investigation used both fingerprints and digital evidence.”
arrest someone for
Detener a alguien por una posible infracción o delito; no equivale a condenar
“Two people were arrested for fraud, but the case has not gone to trial.”
charge someone with
Acusar formalmente a alguien de un delito; el procedimiento depende del sistema jurídico
“The suspect was charged with theft and will appear in court next month.”
accuse someone of / deny doing something
Acusar a alguien de / negar haber hecho algo; accuse no implica siempre una acusación formal
“He was accused of damaging the car, but denied doing it.”
Courts and trials
General English and common England-and-Wales terms; systems differ.
a court / a trial
Tribunal o juzgado / juicio
“The case went to court, and the trial lasted several days.”
plead guilty / not guilty
Declararse culpable / no culpable ante el tribunal en sistemas que utilizan esta figura
“The defendant pleaded not guilty, so the case went to trial.”
give evidence / testify
Declarar o prestar testimonio ante un tribunal; testify es común en inglés estadounidense y también se usa en otros contextos
“The witness gave evidence about what she had seen outside the building.”
Verdicts, sentences and punishment
Separate the decision on guilt from the punishment.
guilty / not guilty
Culpable / no culpable como veredictos; not guilty no equivale necesariamente a demostrar lo ocurrido
“The court found the defendant not guilty because the case had not been proved.”
convict / acquit
Condenar declarando culpable / absolver; distinguir de decidir la pena
“One defendant was convicted of theft; the other was acquitted.”
a verdict / a sentence
Veredicto o decisión sobre culpabilidad / pena o condena impuesta
“The verdict was announced on Monday, but the sentence was given later.”
a fine / pay a fine
Multa / pagar una multa; no es fee, que es un precio o tasa por un servicio
“The court ordered the offender to pay a fine.”
a prison sentence / go to prison
Pena de prisión / ir a prisión
“The article asks whether a prison sentence is the best response to every offence.”
community service
Trabajo en beneficio de la comunidad como sanción
“For some offences, community service may be considered instead of prison.”
a suspended sentence
Pena cuya ejecución se suspende bajo determinadas condiciones; el funcionamiento varía según el país
“The report says the offender received a suspended sentence, not an immediate prison term.”
appeal against a conviction or sentence
Recurrir una declaración de culpabilidad o una pena; uso británico de appeal against
“The defendant plans to appeal against the conviction.”
Safety in public and prevention
Discuss measures and their limits without blaming victims.
safe / unsafe
Seguro / inseguro o poco seguro
“The path feels unsafe after dark because it is isolated and badly lit.”
lock / unlock
Cerrar con llave / abrir la cerradura
“I had locked the door, but I could not remember where I had put the key.”
keep an eye on / belongings
Vigilar o no perder de vista / pertenencias
“We took turns keeping an eye on our belongings while the others bought tickets.”
a security camera / an alarm
Cámara de seguridad / alarma
“The shop has an alarm and security cameras, but staff still need support after an incident.”
deter crime / prevent crime
Disuadir de cometer delitos / prevenir delitos; no son garantías de que no ocurran
“Better lighting might deter some crime, but it will not solve every safety problem.”
privacy / surveillance
Privacidad / vigilancia
“Residents disagreed about whether more surveillance was worth the loss of privacy.”
a precaution / take precautions
Precaución / tomar precauciones
“I take precautions when travelling, but being a victim is never proof that someone was careless.”
Cybercrime and online scams
Recognise and describe what happened online.
an online scam / a scammer
Estafa en internet / estafador
“The ticket offer was an online scam: the event existed, but the seller had no tickets.”
a fake website / impersonate someone
Web falsa / hacerse pasar por otra persona
“The message linked to a fake website that impersonated a delivery company.”
phishing / a phishing message
Engaño mediante mensajes que buscan que reveles datos o hagas algo inseguro, como abrir un enlace fraudulento
“The phishing message looked like it came from her bank, but asked her to confirm her password.”
identity theft
Robo o uso indebido de datos de identidad para hacerse pasar por alguien
“The story is about identity theft, not just a stolen bank card.”
hack into an account / an account takeover
Acceder sin autorización a una cuenta / apropiación de una cuenta
“Someone hacked into the account and used it to send messages to her contacts.”
malware / ransomware
Software malicioso / tipo que bloquea o cifra datos o sistemas para exigir un rescate
“The ransomware attack made the files inaccessible and demanded a payment.”
a data breach / a data leak
Incidente de seguridad que afecta a datos / filtración de datos; usos relacionados que pueden solaparse
“The company reported a data breach involving customer information.”
cyberbullying / online harassment
Acoso por medios digitales / acoso en internet; el alcance de ambos términos se solapa
“The school discussed how to respond to cyberbullying and support the person affected.”
Cybersecurity and account protection
Vocabulary for understanding everyday security choices.
a strong / a weak password
Contraseña robusta / débil
“The website rejected my weak password and asked me to choose a stronger one.”
a password manager
Gestor de contraseñas
“A password manager helps me use a different password for each account.”
two-step verification / two-factor authentication
Verificación en dos pasos / autenticación de dos factores; etiquetas relacionadas usadas por servicios para añadir comprobaciones al inicio de sesión
“I turned on two-step verification so a password alone would not be enough to sign in.”
an update / update software
Actualización / actualizar programas
“I used to put off software updates because they interrupted my work.”
back up / a backup
Hacer una copia de seguridad / copia de seguridad
“I backed up my photos before replacing the old laptop.”
a suspicious link / an attachment
Enlace sospechoso / archivo adjunto
“The email had an unexpected attachment and a suspicious link.”
check the sender / report and block
Comprobar el remitente / denunciar o comunicar y bloquear
“She checked the sender before reporting and blocking the account.”
personal data / privacy settings
Datos personales / ajustes de privacidad
“I changed my privacy settings because I did not want my phone number to be public.”
Discussing justice and responses to crime
Useful language for supported B2 opinions and comparisons.
break the law / obey the law
Infringir la ley / cumplirla
“Something can be unfair without being illegal, and obeying the law does not settle every moral question.”
legal / illegal
Legal / ilegal; la situación jurídica depende del lugar y el momento
“Before calling something illegal, I would check which rule actually applies.”
a criminal record
Antecedentes penales
“The article discusses how a criminal record can affect someone's chances of finding work.”
rehabilitation / reoffend
Rehabilitación o reinserción / volver a delinquir
“The programme aims to support rehabilitation and reduce the chance that people reoffend.”
a deterrent / a proportionate punishment
Medida que disuade / castigo proporcionado
“A punishment should be proportionate; making it harsher does not automatically make it a better deterrent.”
compensate victims / compensation
Indemnizar a las víctimas / indemnización
“The debate is about how to compensate victims as well as how to punish offenders.”
enforce the law / raise awareness
Hacer cumplir la ley / concienciar
“The campaign combines enforcing the law with raising awareness of online fraud.”
People and roles in justice
From witnesses and suspects to courts and prisons; roles do not prove guilt.
a victim / an offender
Víctima / persona que comete una infracción o delito
“Victims may need support long after an offender has been sentenced.”
a witness / witness an incident
Testigo / presenciar un incidente
“I witnessed the incident from the café, but I did not see who started it.”
a suspect
Sospechoso; no significa que su culpabilidad esté demostrada
“The police interviewed a suspect, but no one had been charged.”
a police officer / a police station
Agente de policía / comisaría
“A police officer asked me to come to the station to give a statement.”
a judge / a lawyer
Juez o jueza / abogado o abogada
“The lawyer asked the judge for more time to review the documents.”
a defendant
Persona acusada en un proceso; aquí se usa en contexto penal
“The defendant listened while the witnesses described what had happened.”
the prosecution / the defence
Parte acusadora / defensa; términos usados aquí en contexto penal
“The prosecution and the defence disagreed about what the footage showed.”
a prosecutor
Fiscal o persona que representa a la acusación, según el sistema
“The prosecutor asked the witness about the time of the incident.”
a jury / a juror
Jurado como grupo / miembro del jurado; no todos los juicios tienen jurado
“The jurors listened to the evidence before the jury reached its verdict.”
a detective
Policía que se dedica a investigar delitos; no es lo mismo que un detective privado
“The detective compared the witness statements with the CCTV footage.”
a prison officer / a prisoner
Funcionario de prisiones / persona presa
“The report includes interviews with prisoners and prison officers.”
Five useful idioms
Conversational expressions; avoid using them as precise legal labels.
catch someone red-handed
Pillar a alguien en el acto de hacer algo indebido
“The security guard caught the thief red-handed taking money from the till.”
behind bars
En prisión
“The documentary asks what support people receive after spending years behind bars.”
be off the hook
Librarse de un problema, responsabilidad o posible castigo; no significa necesariamente ser absuelto
“The manager thought he was off the hook, but the investigation raised new questions.”
a slap on the wrist
Castigo que quien habla considera demasiado leve
“Some residents called the fine a slap on the wrist; others thought it was proportionate.”
take the law into your own hands
Castigar o actuar contra alguien por cuenta propia en lugar de recurrir a las autoridades
“Being angry about the theft does not mean we should take the law into our own hands.”