Spanish tells you where knowledge comes from
A sentence may look like a statement of fact, but Spanish often marks the source, basis, or strength of that statement.
Compare:
La empresa incumplió el contrato.
Según el informe, la empresa incumplió el contrato.
Consta que la empresa incumplió el contrato.
De los documentos se desprende que la empresa incumplió el contrato.
These sentences do not carry the same evidential force. The first asserts directly. The second attributes the claim to a report. The third says the fact appears on record. The fourth says the conclusion follows from documents.
The key principle is:
Evidence phrases tell you who is responsible for the claim and how strongly the text presents it.
This matters in journalism, law, academic writing, administration, translation, and any serious reading.
Según: flexible attribution
según
Según can mean according to, depending on, or as stated by. It is one of the most common evidence markers in Spanish.
Examples:
Según el informe, la cifra aumentó.
According to the report, the figure increased.
Según la ley, el plazo es de treinta días.
According to the law, the deadline is thirty days.
Actuaremos según las instrucciones recibidas.
We will act according to the instructions received.
In news, según often creates source distance. The writer is not necessarily saying, “I personally verify this.” The writer is saying, “This source says this.”
Learner action:
When you see según, identify the source and decide whether the text is reporting, relying on, or distancing itself from that source.
De acuerdo con: according to, in agreement with
de acuerdo con
This phrase can mark a source or a standard.
De acuerdo con los datos publicados, el desempleo bajó.
According to the published data, unemployment fell.
De acuerdo con la normativa vigente, debe presentarse una solicitud.
In accordance with current regulations, an application must be submitted.
It is somewhat more formal than según in many contexts, though both are common.
Important: de acuerdo con is not the same as estar de acuerdo con.
Estoy de acuerdo con la propuesta.
I agree with the proposal.
De acuerdo con la propuesta, se creará un comité.
According to / in accordance with the proposal, a committee will be created.
Conforme a: legal and formal alignment
conforme a
Conforme a often appears in legal, administrative, and formal writing. It means in accordance with, pursuant to, or according to.
Conforme al artículo 12, la solicitud deberá presentarse por escrito.
Pursuant to Article 12, the application must be submitted in writing.
La resolución se dictó conforme a la normativa aplicable.
The decision was issued in accordance with the applicable regulations.
This phrase often does more than cite a source. It presents the action as legally or procedurally aligned with a rule.
Learner action:
In legal translation, do not flatten conforme a into casual “according to” if “pursuant to” or “in accordance with” is needed.
Consta que: on record
consta que
Consta que means that something is recorded, documented, or appears in the record.
Consta que el solicitante presentó la documentación el 3 de mayo.
It is on record that the applicant submitted the documentation on May 3.
No consta que se haya realizado el pago.
There is no record that the payment was made.
This is common in administrative, legal, and bureaucratic Spanish. It does not merely mean “it is known.” It points to a record or file.
Learner action:
Translate consta que with documentary force: records show, it is on record, it appears in the file.
Se desprende de: inference from evidence
se desprende de
This phrase means that a conclusion follows from evidence.
De los datos se desprende que la demanda aumentó.
The data indicate / It follows from the data that demand increased.
Del expediente se desprende que hubo una notificación previa.
The case file shows / It follows from the file that there was prior notice.
It is often more inferential than consta que. Consta que says something appears on record. Se desprende de says a conclusion can be derived from the record, data, or evidence.
Evidential strength ladder
Approximate scale from looser attribution to stronger documentary force:
| Phrase | Typical force |
|---|---|
| según X | attributed to X; source-based |
| de acuerdo con X | according to / in accordance with X |
| conforme a X | formal/legal alignment with X |
| los datos sugieren que | evidence suggests; cautious inference |
| se desprende de X que | follows from X; inferential evidence |
| consta que | appears on record; documented |
| queda acreditado que | has been established/proven in a record or proceeding |
This ladder is approximate. Context can strengthen or weaken each expression. But it helps readers avoid treating all evidence language as equal.
Legal, journalistic, academic, and administrative contexts
In journalism:
Según fuentes oficiales, la reunión se celebrará mañana.
This marks source attribution and may protect the outlet from overassertion.
In academic writing:
Los resultados sugieren que la intervención tuvo un efecto limitado.
This hedges the conclusion.
In administration:
Consta en el expediente que la solicitud fue presentada fuera de plazo.
This ties the statement to the file.
In law:
Conforme al artículo 8, el recurso deberá interponerse en el plazo establecido.
This ties the obligation to a legal provision.
Same broad idea: knowledge, authority, or obligation comes from somewhere.
Translation effects
Evidence phrases affect translation because they assign responsibility.
Según el testigo, el vehículo no se detuvo.
Do not translate as:
The vehicle did not stop.
Better:
According to the witness, the vehicle did not stop.
The source matters. Removing según changes the legal and evidential status of the statement.
Similarly:
No consta que se haya notificado al interesado.
Do not reduce to:
The interested party was not notified.
Better:
There is no record that the interested party was notified.
That distinction can be critical.
Example bank walkthrough
según el informe
Attribution to a report.
Learner action: separate the report’s claim from the writer’s direct assertion.
de acuerdo con la ley
According to/in accordance with the law.
Learner action: decide whether source attribution or legal conformity is intended.
consta que
It is on record that.
Learner action: preserve documentary force in translation.
se desprende de los datos
It follows from the data / the data indicate.
Learner action: mark the statement as an inference, not necessarily a directly recorded fact.
conforme al artículo
Pursuant to/in accordance with the article.
Learner action: treat as formal legal reference.
Evidence-reading workflow
For evidence phrases in Spanish:
- Underline the evidence marker. según, conforme a, consta que.
- Identify the source. report, law, data, file, witness, article.
- Classify the force. attribution, legal basis, record, inference, proof.
- Ask who is responsible. Writer, source, document, authority?
- Check whether the statement is asserted or attributed.
- Preserve the marker in translation. Especially in legal, medical, and administrative contexts.
- Watch negation. No consta que means “no record,” not always “did not happen.”
- Compare evidence levels. según is not consta; sugiere is not demuestra.
Evidential language draws responsibility lines
Spanish source phrases do not merely answer “Where did this come from?” They distribute responsibility. A sentence can present information as a report, legal record, inference, rule, rumor, institutional finding, or writer conclusion.
Compare:
Según el informe, hubo errores en el proceso.
Consta que hubo errores en el proceso.
Se desprende del informe que hubo errores en el proceso.
De acuerdo con la empresa, hubo errores en el proceso.
These are not interchangeable.
- Según el informe attributes the claim to the report.
- Consta que says the fact is on record.
- Se desprende de presents an inference from evidence.
- De acuerdo con la empresa names the company as source, which may be interested or partial.
A reader should ask: is the writer reporting, recording, inferring, or aligning with a source?
Evidential strength is context-sensitive
The same phrase can feel different by genre.
In journalism:
Según fuentes del ministerio...
This may signal insider attribution but not public documentation.
In an administrative decision:
Consta en el expediente...
This has documentary force: the file contains evidence or a record.
In academic writing:
Se desprende de los datos...
This signals an interpretation supported by data, not necessarily an observed fact.
In legal writing:
Conforme al artículo 12...
This anchors the statement in a rule, statute, clause, or norm.
The phrase itself matters, but the institution around it matters too.
Mini document passage
Read:
Según la solicitud presentada por la interesada, el trámite se inició el 3 de abril. Consta en el expediente que la notificación fue enviada el 10 de abril. De los documentos aportados se desprende que la dirección indicada no estaba actualizada. Conforme a la normativa aplicable, el plazo comienza a contar desde la notificación.
Markup:
- Según la solicitud: information attributed to the applicant’s filing.
- Consta en el expediente: information recorded in the administrative file.
- Se desprende: inference from submitted documents.
- Conforme a la normativa: rule-based conclusion.
This paragraph is not just telling a story. It is constructing an evidential chain.
Translation problems
English often uses “according to” for too many Spanish phrases. That can flatten important distinctions.
| Spanish | Possible English | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| según el informe | according to the report | broad attribution |
| de acuerdo con la ley | under / according to the law | legal alignment, not opinion |
| conforme al artículo | pursuant to / in accordance with Article | formal legal register |
| consta que | it is recorded that / the record shows that | documentary evidence |
| se desprende de | it follows from / can be inferred from | inference, not direct statement |
For learners, the goal is not to memorize one English equivalent. The goal is to preserve evidential distance.
Source-language reading routine
For every evidence phrase, ask:
- What is the source?
- Is the source a person, document, law, dataset, institution, or inference?
- Does the writer endorse the claim or merely report it?
- Is the evidence direct or inferred?
- Is the phrase common in legal, academic, journalistic, or administrative prose?
- What would be lost if translated as plain “according to”?
Advanced Spanish reading depends on these distinctions. Many important texts are not difficult because of vocabulary; they are difficult because they carefully manage how knowledge is attributed.
Suggested interactive module: evidential strength ladder
A strong tool for this article would tag evidence phrases and show their force.
Suggested functions:
- Phrase input: No consta que se haya realizado el pago.
- Evidence marker: no consta que.
- Source type: record/file implied.
- Force label: absence of documentary record.
- Translation options: There is no record that payment was made.
- Risk warning: do not translate as “payment was not made” unless context supports it.
- Strength scale: según → se desprende → consta → queda acreditado.
Final rule
Spanish evidence language is not decorative.
Según, de acuerdo con, conforme a, consta que, and se desprende de tell you where a claim comes from and how strongly it is being presented. In serious texts, preserving that evidential distance is part of reading accurately.
A claim is not only what is said. It is what the text says it is based on.