Courthouse and courtroom are “Americanisms” (americanismos). You may have heard these two words on American films or police dramas.
British English is different. The English use “court” (tribunal) as the general word. If we wish or need to be more specific we refer (referirse a) to a specific type of court.
So for the lawyers who are reading this please take note (apuntar) of the following:
- A magistrate´s court (juzgada de primer instancia).
- A Crown court (audiencia provincial).
- A Court of Appeal (tribunal de apelación).
Sometimes it is necessary to take someone (or an organization or company) to court (llevar a alguien a los tribunales) but people prefer to settle a case out of court (llegar a un acuerdo sin ir a juicio).
Perhaps the lawyers prefer to go to court as they probably earn higher fees!
