Obligations and Contracts – Contract Classifications
Art. 1907. Unilateral contracts. A contract is unilateral when the party who accepts the obligation of the other does not assume a reciprocal obligation.
Art. 1908. Bilateral or synallagmatic contracts. A contract is bilateral, or synallagmatic, when the parties obligate themselves reciprocally, so that the obligation of each party is correlative to the obligation of the other.
Art. 1909. Onerous contracts. A contract is onerous when each of the parties obtains an advantage in exchange for his obligation.
Art. 1910. Gratuitous contracts. A contract is gratuitous when one party obligates himself towards another for the benefit of the latter, without obtaining any advantage in return.
Art. 1911. Commutative contracts. A contract is commutative when the performance of the obligation of each party is correlative to the performance of the other. A
rt. 1912. Aleatory contracts. A contract is aleatory when, because of its nature or according to the parties’ intent, the performance of either party’s obligation, or the extent of the perforÂmance, depends on an uncertain event.
Art. 1913. Principal and accessory contracts
A contract is accessory when it is made to provide security for the performance of an obligation. Suretyship, mortgage, pledge, and other types of security agreements are examples of such a contract. When the secured obligation arises from a contract, either between the same or other parties, that contract is the principal contract.
