Breakdown of El arrendador puede rescindir el contrato, es decir, cancelar el acuerdo.
poder
to be able to / can
cancelar
to cancel
el contrato
contract
el acuerdo
the agreement
es decir
that is to say
el arrendador
landlord
rescindir
to rescind / to terminate
Questions & Answers about El arrendador puede rescindir el contrato, es decir, cancelar el acuerdo.
Why use es decir here instead of o sea?
Both are explicative discourse markers meaning 'that is' or 'in other words', used to clarify the previous statement. However, es decir and esto es are more formal, which perfectly matches the legal vocabulary in this sentence (arrendador, rescindir). o sea is much more common in everyday, casual speech.
I usually say el dueño for 'the landlord.' When should I use el arrendador?
If rescindir and cancelar mean the same thing here, why not just say cancelar el contrato to begin with?
rescindir is the precise legal term for terminating or voiding a formal contract or agreement. The speaker uses it for legal accuracy, but then uses the marker es decir followed by cancelar el acuerdo to immediately translate that legal jargon into simpler, everyday terms so the listener understands.
Why is cancelar in the infinitive here? Doesn't a new clause start after es decir?
es decir links two equivalent expressions. The first action is the infinitive rescindir (which relies on the conjugated verb puede). To keep the structure parallel, the clarification also uses an infinitive, cancelar. You can think of it as an invisible repetition: puede rescindir, es decir, [puede] cancelar.
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