Contract in English: A Guide to Writing or Reading It Correc

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How to write a contract in English? Or, how to read a contract in English correctly?



Contracts are agreements between two or more parties that establish mutual rights, obligations, and responsibilities.

If you are a businessman or work in international relations, it is likely that you will occasionally need to deal with contracts in English.

To help you with this task, in this guide we will show you how to correctly write or read a contract in English.

Here you will learn about the elements of a contract in English. You will also have access to a legal glossary in English that is shopify website design very useful for deciphering these documents.

What are the elements of a contract in English?

To begin to understand how to write a contract in English or how to read a contract in English correctly, let's first talk about its structure.

Primary elements





Every contract in English has basic elements, just like standard contracts written in any other language. Among these, we can identify:







Introduction/Preamble : Here you enter the description of the parties involved, their details such as address in English and documentation, and the contractual relationship into which they are entering.

Object of the contract : Refers to the purpose or object of the contract, i.e. what the parties are agreeing to do.

Conditions of the contract: Refers to the terms and provisions governing the agreement, including your obligations and responsibilities, as well as any conditions that must be satisfied before the contract becomes effective.

Duration of the contract : Refers to the period of validity of the contract.

Covenants/ Obligations of the parties : Refers to the specific responsibilities and duties of each party under the contract, including their obligations to perform certain actions, provide certain goods or services, or make certain payments.

Signatures : Provides space for the parties to sign and date the agreement, indicating their adherence to its terms.





In an English contract, these key elements are necessary to ensure the clarity and validity of the agreement.







english contract structure







Secondary elements





In addition to these elements, it is also very common to find the following elements when reading a contract in English:







Representations and warranties : sets out any promises and warranties made by the parties as to their respective rights and obligations.

Indemnification : sets out the responsibilities of the parties in the event of any loss or damage.

Limitation of liability : specifies the degree/extent to which the parties are liable for any losses or damages.

Termination : sets out the circumstances under which the English contract may be terminated by either party.

Governing law: identifies the law that will govern the contract in English.

Dispute resolution : establishes the process for resolving disputes between parties.





Glossary of terms used in an English contract





Are you looking to understand how to write a contract in English? Or do you have doubts when reading a contract in English?



This is common even for those who speak the language as a second language. After all, the terms used in a contract in English are technical terms and must be studied separately.



To help with the general understanding of contracts in English, we present below a table with some frequently used terms and their translations into Portuguese:







Contractual term in English Translation (PT-BR)

Agreement Agreement

Amendment Change

Assignment Transfer

Boilerplate Standard clauses

Breach Infringement

Choice of law Choice of law

Circumstance Circumstance

Consideration Consideration

Contract Contract

Covenants Commitments

Damages Damages

Debtor Debtor

Default Standard

Defense Defense

Dispute Dispute

Duration Duration

Effective date Effective date

Entire agreement Entire agreement

Executed Executed

Force majeure Force majeure

Governing law Applicable law

Indemnification Indemnity

Indemnitor Indemnifier

Injunction Injunction

Intellectual property Intellectual property

Liquidated damages Liquidated damages

Material breach Material infringement

Default material Material standard

Merger clause Merger clause

Object Object

Obligations Obligations

Parties Parts

Performance Execution

Remedy Remedy

Representation Representation

Representations and warranties Representations and warranties

Security interest Security interest

Signatures Subscriptions

Termination Termination

Termination for cause Termination for cause

Termination for convenience Termination for convenience

Terms Conditions

Warranty Guarantee





Glossary: ​​Expressions used in an English contract





In addition to these technical terms that you just learned above, there are also expressions that are widely used in English contracts.



Check it out:







Contractual expression in English Translation (PT-BR)

Any claim arising out of this agreement Any questions arising from this contract

Arising by Originating from

As defined therein As defined herein

As of the date written above From the date written above

As provided in this agreement As provided in this agreement

As set out in As established in

As stated under As indicated in

Brazilian currency Brazilian currency (Reais)

Contemplated in Contemplated in

Covered by the clause Covered by the clause

Enter into a contract Enter into/sign a contract

For the purpose of this section… For the purposes of this section…

Grant (verb) Grant/grant

In accordance with According to

In respect hereof Regarding this

In respect of the provisions With regard to the provisions

In witness whereof, the parties agree to… In witness whereof, the parties agree to…

Pursuant to According to

Pursuant to the terms of the contract According to the terms of the contract

Referred as Referred to as

Services referred to in Section X Services referred to in section X

Set forth in Featured in

Shall Must/must

Subject to Subject to

The jurisdiction of (…) is hereby elected The forum of (…) is elected.

The parties elect the jurisdiction of The parties elect the forum of

The parties have herein agreed upon The parties have agreed as follows:

Therein stated There declared

This agreement constitutes its legal, valid and binding obligation This Agreement constitutes your legal, valid and binding/contractual obligation

To exercise its right To exercise your right

To fulfill its obligation To fulfill your obligation

Under the laws of According to the laws of

Whereas Whereas





english contract





Ready to read or write a contract in English!





With this guide and the table above, you are ready to read or write a contract in English with more confidence.



Always keep in mind the importance of following the laws and regulations applicable in each location, and of seeking help from a specialized lawyer in case of doubts or uncertainties.



Furthermore, continue learning about technical English for the legal field in our following article: Technical English: glossary for communicating in specific areas.



And know that you can always count on an English course focused on careers to advance in the language by specializing in a field of activity!