A2 · ElementaryAdapted from ElDiario.es

Spain's Illegal Wells: Crime or Just a Fine?

Pozos sin licencia: ¿delito o infracción?

Sep 12, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

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Un juez español ha cerrado el caso de los nueve pozos ilegales en una finca de la Casa de Alba.

El juez explica que los pozos no tienen licencia, pero eso es un problema administrativo. Ningún informe técnico demuestra claramente que se haya dañado el acuífero o la naturaleza. Por eso, decide archivar el caso.

La finca se llama Aljóbar y está en Aznalcázar, cerca de Doñana. Los pozos estaban ocultos. Unos extrabajadores denunciaron la situación. Ahora las partes pueden recurrir la decisión en tres días.

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Watch out, English speaker

English speakers often use the simple past (preterite) for recent events, but Spanish uses the present perfect (he cerrado) when the action is connected to the present. In English, 'I closed the case' is fine, but in Spanish, 'He cerrado el caso' emphasizes that the case is now closed. Using the preterite 'cerré' would shift focus to the past action itself, not the present result. English uses the present perfect subjunctive rarely (e.g., 'It's important that he have done it'), but Spanish uses it after expressions of doubt, negation, or emotion. For example, 'No creo que haya dañado' means 'I don't think he has damaged.' English speakers might mistakenly use the indicative 'ha dañado' because English often uses the indicative after 'I don't think.' Remember: in Spanish, negation triggers the subjunctive.

Key vocabulary

juezm./f.
judge
“El juez decide archivar el caso.”— The judge decides to close the case.
Pattern el juez de instrucción (examining magistrate)
Compare magistrado (judge)
Plural: jueces
💡 From Latin iudex, cognate with "judicial".
pozom.
well
“Los pozos no tienen licencia.”— The wells do not have a license.
Pattern pozo de agua (water well)
Compare aljibe (cistern)
Plural: pozos
💡 Note the word related to pozo: pozuelo (small well).
ilegaladj.
illegal
“El caso de los pozos ilegales es famoso.”— The case of the illegal wells is famous.
Pattern pozo ilegal (illegal well)
Compare ilícito (unlawful)
Plural: ilegales
💡 The prefix i- indicates negation; legal means "legal".
delitom.
crime
“No hay delito contra el medio ambiente.”— There is no crime against the environment.
Pattern delito contra el medio ambiente (environmental crime)
Compare crimen (crime)
Plural: delitos
💡 From Latin delictum, referring to an offense.
medio ambientem.
environment
“El juez cree que no hay delito contra el medio ambiente.”— The judge believes there is no crime against the environment.
Pattern proteger el medio ambiente (to protect the environment)
Compare entorno (environment)
No plural change
💡 medio means "middle", ambiente means "environment"; together they mean "environment".
archivarv.
to file, to close (a case)
“El juez decide archivar el caso.”— The judge decides to close the case.
Pattern archivar el caso (to close the case)
Compare cerrar (to close)
Conjugation: archivo, archivas, archiva...
💡 From archivo (archive), meaning "to place a document in the archive".
acuíferom.
aquifer
“Ningún informe demuestra que se haya dañado el acuífero.”— No report proves that the aquifer has been damaged.
Pattern dañar el acuífero (to damage the aquifer)
Compare None
Plural: acuíferos
💡 From Latin aqua (water) and ferre (to carry), meaning "aquifer".
denunciarv.
to report, to denounce
“Unos extrabajadores denunciaron la situación.”— Some former workers reported the situation.
Pattern denunciar un delito (to report a crime)
Compare reportar (to report)
Conjugation: denuncio, denuncias, denuncia...
💡 From Latin denuntiare, meaning "to announce, report".

Grammar spotlight

Present perfect (Pretérito perfecto): haber + past participle

Formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb haber plus a past participle, it expresses a past action that is still relevant to the present. Use it to talk about recent events or experiences with a present result.

“Un juez español ha cerrado el caso.”— A Spanish judge has closed the case.

⚠️ Do not confuse haber with tener; haber is the auxiliary used to form perfect tenses.

Present perfect subjunctive (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo): haya/hayas/haya... + past participle

Formed with the present subjunctive of haber (haya, hayas, haya, etc.) plus a past participle, it is used to express doubt, denial, or uncertainty about a past action. It often appears in subordinate clauses after expressions of doubt or negation.

“Ningún informe demuestra que se haya dañado el acuífero.”— No report proves that the aquifer has been damaged.

⚠️ In negative sentences, if the main verb expresses doubt or denial, the subordinate clause must use the subjunctive.

Sentence patterns to steal

El juez explica que los pozos no tienen licencia, pero eso es un problema administrativo.
The judge explains that the wells do not have a license, but that is an administrative problem.
Explicar que + indicative + pero eso es + nounYou can replace the subject and noun, e.g., El abogado explica que... pero eso es un delito.
Ningún informe técnico demuestra claramente que se haya dañado el acuífero o la naturaleza.
No technical report clearly proves that the aquifer or the environment has been damaged.
Ningún + noun + demuestra que + subjunctiveYou can replace the noun and verb, e.g., Ninguna prueba demuestra que haya pasado.
Ahora las partes pueden recurrir la decisión en tres días.
Now the parties can appeal the decision within three days.
Subject + pueden + infinitive + en + timeYou can replace the verb and time expression, e.g., Los estudiantes pueden entregar el trabajo en una semana.

The House of Alba and Doñana

The House of Alba is one of Spain's oldest noble families, and its estate, Aljóbar, is located near Doñana National Park. Doñana is a major wetland reserve in Europe, and illegal water extraction could threaten its ecosystem.

Source: Wikipedia: Casa de Alba, Doñana

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