Retorcer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

retorcer means "to twist, to wring" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Retorcer means to twist hard or to wring: retorcer la toalla mojada, retorcer las palabras de alguien in the figurative sense of twisting what they said. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of retorcer; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the retorcer present tense page.

retorcer in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo retuerzo la toalla mojada — "I twist the wet towel"
  2. Mi amigo retuerce el paño para secarlo — "My friend twists the cloth to dry it"
  3. Mañana, tú retorcerás el brazo del niño — "Tomorrow, you will twist the child's arm"
  4. Yo retorcería las palabras de su rival si pudiera — "I would twist his rival's words if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo retorcí la toalla mojada — "Yesterday, I twisted the wet towel"
  2. Antes, nosotros retorcíamos el paño para secarlo — "Before, we used to twist the cloth to dry it"
  3. Él ha retorcido el brazo del niño — "He has twisted the child's arm"
  4. Yo ya había retorcido las palabras de su rival antes de salir — "I already had twisted his rival's words before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él retuerza la toalla mojada — "I hope he twists the wet towel"
  2. Si yo retorciera el paño para secarlo, todo cambiaría — "If I twisted the cloth to dry it, everything would change"
  3. Retuerce el brazo del niño. — "Twist the child's arm."
  4. Yo habría retorcido las palabras de su rival con más tiempo — "I would have twisted his rival's words with more time"

retorcer in conversation

Two short dialogues that use retorcer the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo retuerzo la toalla mojada — "I twist the wet towel"
  • Marcos: Él retuerce el paño para secarlo — "He twists the cloth to dry it"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo retorcí el brazo del niño — "Yesterday, I twisted the child's arm"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú retorcerás las palabras de su rival — "Tomorrow, you will twist his rival's words"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Retuerce el cable del teléfono. — "Twist the telephone cable."
  • Lucía: Él ha retorcido la toalla mojada — "He has twisted the wet towel"
  • Marcos: Espero que él retuerza el paño para secarlo — "I hope he twists the cloth to dry it"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo retorcía el brazo del niño — "Before, I used to twist the child's arm"

Common mistakes with retorcer

The errors learners actually make with retorcer, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo retorco las palabras de su rival.

✓ Correct: Yo retuerzo las palabras de su rival.

retorcer is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is retuerzo, not retorco.

✗ *Espero que él retuerce las palabras de su rival

✓ Correct: Espero que él retuerza las palabras de su rival

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él retuerza las palabras de su rival — not the indicative Espero que él retuerce las palabras de su rival.

✗ *Ayer, yo retuerzo el cable del teléfono

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo retorcí el cable del teléfono

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo retorcí el cable del teléfono.

✗ *De niño, yo retorcí la toalla mojada todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo retorcía la toalla mojada todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo retorcía la toalla mojada todos los días.

✗ *Yo retuerzo en el brazo del niño.

✓ Correct: Yo retuerzo el brazo del niño.

retorcer takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo retuerzo el brazo del niño.

Quiz: retorcer in use

Ten questions on retorcer — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la toalla mojada — "I twist the wet towel" (present) A. retorcemos B. retuerzo C. retuerces D. retuerce

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el paño para secarlo — "Yesterday, I twisted the cloth to dry it" (preterite) A. retorciste B. retorció C. retorcimos D. retorcí

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el brazo del niño — "Before, we used to twist the child's arm" (imperfect) A. retorcía B. retorcías C. retorcíais D. retorcíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ las palabras de su rival — "Tomorrow, you will twist his rival's words" (future) A. retorceré B. retorcerá C. retorceremos D. retorcerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el cable del teléfono — "I would twist the telephone cable" (conditional) A. retorcería B. retorcerías C. retorceríamos D. retorceríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la toalla mojada — "He has twisted the wet towel" (present perfect) A. has retorcido B. hemos retorcido C. ha retorcido D. he retorcido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el paño para secarlo — "I hope he twists the cloth to dry it" (present subjunctive) A. retorzamos B. retorcáis C. retuerza D. retuerzas

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el brazo del niño. — "Twist the child's arm." (affirmative imperative) A. retuerza B. retorzamos C. retorced D. retuerce

  9. Which is the gerund of retorcer, used with estar for the progressive? A. retorciendo B. retorcido C. retuerzo D. retorcí

  10. What does retorcer mean in English? A. to cross B. to draw C. to twist D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. retuerzo — The present form for yo is retuerzo.
  2. retorcí — The preterite form for yo is retorcí.
  3. retorcíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is retorcíamos.
  4. retorcerás — The future form for tú is retorcerás.
  5. retorcería — The conditional form for yo is retorcería.
  6. ha retorcido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha retorcido.
  7. retuerza — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is retuerza.
  8. retuerce — The affirmative imperative form is retuerce.
  9. retorciendo — The gerund of retorcer is retorciendo: estoy retorciendo. The participle retorcido is used with haber instead.
  10. to twist — retorcer means to twist.

Frequently asked questions

What does retorcer mean in English?

retorcer means to twist, to wring. For example: Yo retuerzo la toalla mojada — "I twist the wet towel". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with retorcer?

retorcer takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is retorcer regular?

No. retorcer is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: retuerzo, retuerces, retuerce and retuercen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: retorcemos, retorcéis.

How do I practise retorcer?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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