Two Surnames in Spain: A1 Spanish Reading
Read an A1 Spanish explanation of how parents choose the order of two surnames when a birth is registered in Spain.
Dos apellidos en el Registro Civil
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About this article
What you'll learn
Basic vocabulary for names, surnames, parents and civil registration
A fictional family example shows how each parent transmits a first surname, how the parents choose their order and why the same order applies to later children with the same parentage.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
nombre y los apellidos
newname and surnames
The given name and the family names used to identify a person.
This is the basic pair of terms for the whole reading.
primer apellido de cada progenitor
newthe first surname of each parent
In the example, each parent passes on their first surname.
It explains which surname comes from each parent.
deciden el orden
newthey choose the order
The parents agree which transmitted surname comes first.
It states the decision at the centre of the example.
el mismo orden de apellidos
newthe same surname order
Later children with the same parentage use the order set at the first registration.
It clarifies that the order is consistent for these siblings.
cambiar el orden de sus apellidos
newchange the order of her surnames
To put the two registered surnames in the opposite order.
It describes an option available later in life.
con la misma filiación
newwith the same parentage
Here it means that the later child has the same legally recognized parents.
It marks the exact limit of the rule about sibling surname order.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Civil Registry
Registro Civil
Civil Registry
The public register that records births and identity details.
It names the institution in the article.
Parentage
filiación
parentage
The legal relationship between a person and their parent or parents.
It is the legal term that determines surname transmission.
Parents
progenitores
parents
A formal word for a person’s parents.
It appears in legal and administrative explanations.
Passes on
transmite
passes on
Here it means that a parent gives a surname to a child.
It describes how a surname moves from parent to child.
Registration
inscripción
registration
The act of officially recording a birth.
It helps describe when the surname order is chosen.
Surname
apellido
surname
A family name passed from a parent.
A central word for names and identity.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Se llama
se llama Ana Ruiz López
her name is Ana Ruiz López
Llamarse is used to say a person’s name. Se matches the third-person subject la madre.
It is the basic pattern for introducing someone.
Puede plus infinitive
puede llamarse Clara Ruiz Martín o Clara Martín Ruiz
she can be called Clara Ruiz Martín or Clara Martín Ruiz
Puede is followed by the infinitive llamarse to express a possible name.
It presents two permitted possibilities.
Si plus present
Si Ana y David tienen otro hijo
if Ana and David have another child
Si plus present introduces a real future possibility. The result also uses the present.
It connects a condition with its result.
Antes de plus noun
antes de la inscripción
before registration
Antes de is followed here by the noun la inscripción.
It places one event before another.
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