A Deal With Many Questions

Key vocabulary

• acuerdom.

  agreement, deal

  “Dinamarca y Groenlandia están contentas con un acuerdo con Estados Unidos.”— Denmark and Greenland are pleased with an agreement with the United States.

  Pattern llegar a un acuerdo — to reach an agreement

  Compare pacto m. agreement

  Plural: acuerdos

  💡 From the verb acordar (to agree), remember the root cord- means "heart"; being of one heart means agreement.

• soberaníaf.

  sovereignty

  “El acuerdo respeta la soberanía danesa.”— The agreement respects Danish sovereignty.

  Pattern soberanía nacional — national sovereignty

  Compare autonomía f. autonomy

  Plural: soberanías

  💡 From the adjective soberano (supreme), it refers to a nation's highest authority.

• pactom.

  pact, treaty

  “El pacto da a Washington el control de la seguridad de la isla.”— The pact gives Washington control of the island's security.

  Pattern pacto de no agresión — non-aggression pact

  Compare acuerdo m. agreement

  Plural: pactos

  💡 From Latin pactum, cognate with English pact, it refers to a formal agreement.

• detallem.

  detail

  “No hay muchos detalles del texto.”— There are not many details of the text.

  Pattern dar detalles — to provide details

  Compare pormenor m. detail

  Plural: detalles

  💡 From French détail, remember "de+talle" like "get detailed".

• tensiónf.

  tension

  “El pacto termina con meses de tensión con la Casa Blanca.”— The pact ends months of tension with the White House.

  Pattern tensión política — political tension

  Compare presión f. pressure

  Plural: tensiones

  💡 From Latin tensio, cognate with English tension, it refers to a state of being stretched tight.

• expertom.

  expert

  “Algunos expertos no saben si el acuerdo resuelve todas las disputas.”— Some experts do not know if the agreement resolves all disputes.

  Pattern experto en — expert in

  Compare especialista m./f. specialist

  Plural: expertos; feminine: experta

  💡 From Latin expertus, meaning "experienced"; remember "an experienced person".

• disputaf.

  dispute, argument

  “No saben si el acuerdo resuelve todas las disputas.”— They do not know if the agreement resolves all disputes.

  Pattern resolver una disputa — to resolve a dispute

  Compare conflicto m. conflict

  Plural: disputas

  💡 From the verb disputar (to argue), it refers to a disagreement or quarrel.

Grammar spotlight

Sentence patterns to steal

• Dinamarca y Groenlandia están contentas con un acuerdo con Estados Unidos.

  Denmark and Greenland are satisfied with an agreement with the United States.

  Subject + estar + contento/a + con + nounYou can replace the subject and the noun, for example: Estoy contento con mi trabajo.

• El pacto da a Washington el control de la seguridad de la isla.

  The pact gives Washington control of the island's security.

  Subject + dar + a + person + el control de + nounYou can replace the person and the thing being controlled, for example: La ley da a los ciudadanos el control de sus datos.

• Algunos expertos no saben si el acuerdo resuelve todas las disputas.

  Some experts do not know whether the agreement resolves all disputes.

  Subject + no saber + si + clauseYou can replace the subject and the clause, for example: No sé si él viene.