How to Say "to appeal" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to appeal” is “apelar” — use 'apelar' when referring to the formal legal process of challenging a court's decision or sentence..
apelar
/ah-peh-LAHR//apeˈlaɾ/
Examples
El abogado decidió apelar la sentencia mañana.
The lawyer decided to appeal the sentence tomorrow.
Si no estás de acuerdo con la multa, puedes apelar.
If you don't agree with the fine, you can appeal.
Tienen derecho a apelar ante un tribunal superior.
They have the right to appeal before a higher court.
Using Apelar in Law
When talking about court cases, you can say 'apelar la decisión' (appeal the decision) directly without needing extra words in between.
Don't confuse with calling someone
Mistake: “Voy a apelar a mi hermano por teléfono.”
Correction: Voy a llamar a mi hermano por teléfono. 'Apelar' is for formal requests or legal actions, not phone calls.
recurrir
/rreh-koo-rreer//rekuˈrir/
Examples
Voy a recurrir la multa de tráfico porque es injusta.
I am going to appeal the traffic fine because it's unfair.
El abogado decidió recurrir la sentencia.
The lawyer decided to appeal the sentence.
Tienen diez días para recurrir esta decisión.
They have ten days to challenge this decision.
No 'A' required here
Unlike the first meaning, when you appeal a document or a legal decision, you don't usually need the word 'a'. You appeal the thing directly.
Confusing with 'to recur'
Mistake: “El problema recurre cada mes.”
Correction: El problema se repite cada mes. (Recurrir doesn't usually mean 'to happen again' in Spanish; use 'repetirse' instead.)
Apelar vs. Recurrir
Related Translations
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