Law, Order, Rules and Rights

This lesson deals with la ley (the law), el orden (order), and the rules and rights that structure a society. Core vocabulary includes las normas and las reglas (rules), los derechos (rights), los deberes / las obligaciones (duties/obligations), la justicia (justice), and la libertad (freedom). People who break rules infringir / incumplir la ley (break the law) or cometer un delito (commit a crime); a crime is un delito or, if serious, un crimen, and the person responsible is un delincuente (offender) or un criminal. Keeping order are la policía (the police), un juez / una jueza (a judge), and un abogado / una abogada (a lawyer). Consequences include una multa (a fine), un castigo (a punishment), and la cárcel / la prisión (prison). On the positive side we speak of los derechos humanos (hu