A2 · ElementaryAdapted from ElDiario.es

Apology or Prison? The Raúl Asencio Case

¿Perdón o cárcel? El caso de Raúl Asencio

Sep 3, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

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La Fiscalía de Canarias está dispuesta a retirar la petición de cárcel para Raúl Asencio, jugador del Real Madrid. Él mostró a otra persona un vídeo sexual grabado sin permiso. La condición es que pida perdón en el juicio a las dos mujeres del vídeo.

La fiscal pedía dos años y medio de cárcel para Asencio. Pero ahora acepta que el perdón de las víctimas puede extinguir su responsabilidad penal. Los delitos contra la intimidad son semipúblicos, y la ley española permite esta opción.

Asencio solo está acusado de dos delitos contra la intimidad. Las dos víctimas ya han retirado la acusación contra él después de recibir una indemnización. En septiembre, el jugador les envió una carta reconociendo su error.

La fiscal quiere que Asencio pida perdón en el juicio oral. También quiere que las víctimas acepten sus disculpas formalmente. Así, el tribunal podría no enviarlo a prisión.

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Watch out, English speaker

Spanish uses 'estar dispuesto a' + infinitive to mean 'to be willing to do something.' English speakers often try to translate 'willing' with a form of 'querer' (to want) or 'poder' (can), but that changes the meaning. Also, 'dispuesto' is an adjective that must agree in gender and number with the subject, unlike the English 'willing,' which never changes. Spanish conditional sentences with 'si' + present tense + future/command often translate to English 'if' + present + 'will' or 'would.' English speakers may incorrectly use the Spanish conditional tense after 'si' (e.g., 'si tendría') because English allows 'if I would have.' In Spanish, never use the conditional or future subjunctive after 'si' for real conditions; use the present tense instead.

Key vocabulary

Fiscalíaf.
prosecutor's office; prosecution
“La Fiscalía pide dos años de cárcel.”— The prosecution is asking for two years in prison.
Pattern la Fiscalía de Canarias (the Canary Islands Public Prosecutor's Office)
Compare Ministerio Público (Public Prosecution Service)
Plural: Fiscalías
💡 From Latin fiscalis, related to 'fiscal'.
retirarv.
to withdraw; to retract
“El juez retiró la acusación.”— The judge withdrew the charge.
Pattern retirar la petición (withdraw the request)
Compare quitar (remove)
Conjugation: retiro, retiras, retira...
💡 re- (back) + tirar (pull), meaning 'pull back'.
peticiónf.
request; petition
“La petición fue aceptada.”— The request was accepted.
Pattern petición de cárcel (prison request)
Compare solicitud (application)
Plural: peticiones
💡 From the verb pedir (to request).
cárcelf.
prison; jail
“Pasó cinco años en la cárcel.”— He spent five years in prison.
Pattern años de cárcel (years in prison)
Compare prisión (prison)
Plural: cárceles
💡 Unlike English 'jail', cárcel is more formal.
perdónm.
forgiveness; pardon
“Él pidió perdón a las víctimas.”— He apologized to the victims.
Pattern pedir perdón (to apologize)
Compare disculpa (apology)
Plural: perdones
💡 From perdonar (to forgive).
juiciom.
trial; judgment
“El juicio comienza mañana.”— The trial begins tomorrow.
Pattern juicio oral (oral trial)
Compare proceso (proceedings)
Plural: juicios
💡 Synonymous with 'judgment', as in tener juicio (to have good judgment).
víctimaf.
victim
“La víctima recibió una indemnización.”— The victim received compensation.
Pattern las víctimas del delito (crime victims)
Compare afectada (affected person)
Plural: víctimas
💡 Feminine noun, but can refer to a male or female.
acusaciónf.
accusation; charge
“La acusación fue retirada.”— The accusation was withdrawn.
Pattern retirar la acusación (withdraw the accusation)
Compare cargo (charge)
Plural: acusaciones
💡 From acusar (to accuse).

Grammar spotlight

estar dispuesto a + infinitive

This structure means "to be ready to do something" or "to be willing to do something." The adjective dispuesto must agree in gender and number with the subject. It is followed by the preposition a and an infinitive.

“La Fiscalía está dispuesta a retirar la petición.”— The Prosecutor's Office is willing to withdraw the request.

⚠️ Don't forget the preposition a, and make sure the verb that follows is in the infinitive.

Conditional sentences: si + present, future/imperative

This structure is used to express conditions. In news contexts, it often appears as "if..., then..." The si-clause uses the present tense, while the main clause can use the future or imperative.

“Si pide perdón, el tribunal podría no enviarlo a prisión.”— If he apologizes, the court might not send him to prison.

⚠️ Do not use the future tense in the si-clause; use the present tense instead.

Sentence patterns to steal

La condición es que pida perdón en el juicio a las dos mujeres del vídeo.
The condition is that he apologize in court to the two women in the video.
La condición es que + subjunctiveYou can replace "pida perdón" with another action, such as "pague la multa" (pay the fine).
La fiscal pedía dos años y medio de cárcel para Asencio.
The prosecutor was seeking two and a half years in prison for Asencio.
pedir + time + de cárcel para + personYou can replace "dos años y medio" with "tres años" (three years), etc.
Las dos víctimas ya han retirado la acusación contra él después de recibir una indemnización.
The two victims have already withdrawn the accusation against him after receiving compensation.
retirar la acusación contra + personYou can replace "contra él" with "contra el acusado" (against the defendant).
La fiscal quiere que Asencio pida perdón en el juicio oral.
The prosecutor wants Asencio to apologize in the oral trial.
querer que + subjunctiveYou can replace "quiere" with "espera" (hopes), etc.

The "semipublic" offense in Spanish law

In Spain, crimes against privacy are considered semipúblico (semipublic) offenses. This means that the victim's forgiveness can reduce or even eliminate the penalty. This differs from fully public offenses, where the prosecutor can continue to pursue charges even if the victim forgives.

Source: Código Penal (Spanish Criminal Code)

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