Retorcer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb retorcer means to twist, to wring, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, retorcer changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo retuerzo la toalla mojada — "I twist the wet towel". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: retorcer
  • English: to twist, to wring
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: retorciendo
  • Past participle: retorcido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + retorcido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for retorcer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for retorcer. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | retuerzo | | tú | retuerces | | él/ella/Ud. | retuerce | | nosotros/as | retorcemos | | vosotros/as | retorcéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retuercen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | retorcí | | tú | retorciste | | él/ella/Ud. | retorció | | nosotros/as | retorcimos | | vosotros/as | retorcisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retorcieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | retorcía | | tú | retorcías | | él/ella/Ud. | retorcía | | nosotros/as | retorcíamos | | vosotros/as | retorcíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retorcían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | retorceré | | tú | retorcerás | | él/ella/Ud. | retorcerá | | nosotros/as | retorceremos | | vosotros/as | retorceréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retorcerán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | retorcería | | tú | retorcerías | | él/ella/Ud. | retorcería | | nosotros/as | retorceríamos | | vosotros/as | retorceríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retorcerían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he retorcido | | tú | has retorcido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha retorcido | | nosotros/as | hemos retorcido | | vosotros/as | habéis retorcido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han retorcido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había retorcido | | tú | habías retorcido | | él/ella/Ud. | había retorcido | | nosotros/as | habíamos retorcido | | vosotros/as | habíais retorcido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían retorcido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré retorcido | | tú | habrás retorcido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá retorcido | | nosotros/as | habremos retorcido | | vosotros/as | habréis retorcido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán retorcido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría retorcido | | tú | habrías retorcido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría retorcido | | nosotros/as | habríamos retorcido | | vosotros/as | habríais retorcido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían retorcido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | retuerza | | tú | retuerzas | | él/ella/Ud. | retuerza | | nosotros/as | retorzamos | | vosotros/as | retorcáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retuerzan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | retorciera | | tú | retorcieras | | él/ella/Ud. | retorciera | | nosotros/as | retorciéramos | | vosotros/as | retorcierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retorcieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | retuerce | | él/ella/Ud. | retuerza | | nosotros/as | retorzamos | | vosotros/as | retorced | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retuerzan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | retuerzas | | él/ella/Ud. | retuerza | | nosotros/as | retorzamos | | vosotros/as | retorcáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | retuerzan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund retorciendo with estar for the progressive: está retorciendo
Past participle retorcido with haber for the perfect tenses: he retorcido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For retorcer, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo retuerzo la toalla mojada — "I twist the wet towel".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo retorcí el paño para secarlo — "Yesterday, I twisted the cloth to dry it".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo retorcía el brazo del niño — "As a child, I used to twist the child's arm".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo retorceré las palabras de su rival — "Tomorrow, I will twist his rival's words".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo retorcería la toalla mojada si pudiera — "I would twist the wet towel if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he retorcido el paño para secarlo — "Today, I have twisted the cloth to dry it".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había retorcido el brazo del niño antes de salir — "I already had twisted the child's arm before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré retorcido las palabras de su rival — "By tomorrow, I will have twisted his rival's words".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría retorcido la toalla mojada con más tiempo — "I would have twisted the wet towel with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For retorcer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él retuerza el paño para secarlo — "I hope he twists the cloth to dry it".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For retorcer, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo retorciera el brazo del niño, todo cambiaría — "If I twisted the child's arm, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For retorcer, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Retuerce las palabras de su rival. — "Twist his rival's words.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For retorcer, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No retuerzas la toalla mojada. — "Do not twist the wet towel.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with retorcer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo retorcí el brazo del niño — "Yesterday, I twisted the child's arm"
  4. Antes, nosotros retorcíamos las palabras de su rival — "Before, we used to twist his rival's words"
  5. Mañana, tú retorcerás el cable del teléfono — "Tomorrow, you will twist the telephone cable"
  6. Yo retorcería la toalla mojada si tuviera más tiempo — "I would twist the wet towel if I had more time"
  7. Él ha retorcido el paño para secarlo — "He has twisted the cloth to dry it"
  8. Espero que él retuerza el brazo del niño — "I hope he twists the child's arm"
  9. Yo ya había retorcido las palabras de su rival antes de salir — "I already had twisted his rival's words before leaving"
  10. Ellos retorcían el cable del teléfono cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to twist the telephone cable when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo retorco el paño para secarlo. — Right: Yo retuerzo el paño para secarlo. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él retuerce el paño para secarlo — Right: Espero que él retuerza el paño para secarlo — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él retuerza el paño para secarlo — not the indicative Espero que él retuerce el paño para secarlo.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo retuerzo el brazo del niño — Right: Ayer, yo retorcí el brazo del niño — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo retorcí el brazo del niño.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo retorcí las palabras de su rival todos los días — Right: De niño, yo retorcía las palabras de su rival todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo retorcía las palabras de su rival todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo retuerzo en la toalla mojada. — Right: Yo retuerzo la toalla mojada. — retorcer takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo retuerzo la toalla mojada.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on retorcer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ el paño para secarlo — "He twisted the cloth to dry it" (preterite) A. retorcimos B. retorció C. retorcí D. retorciste

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ las palabras de su rival — "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: Espero que él ______ la toalla mojada — "I hope he twists the wet towel" (present subjunctive) A. retorcáis B. retuerza C. retuerzas D. retorzamos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el paño para secarlo, todo cambiaría — "If I twisted the cloth to dry it, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. retorcierais B. retorciera C. retorcieras D. retorciéramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el brazo del niño — "We have twisted the child's arm" (present perfect) A. ha retorcido B. hemos retorcido C. he retorcido D. has retorcido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ las palabras de su rival. — "Do not twist his rival's words." (negative imperative) A. retuerza B. retorzamos C. retorcáis D. retuerzas

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

Answer key

  1. retuerzo — The present form for yo is retuerzo.
  2. retorció — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is retorció.
  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. retuerza — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is retuerza.
  7. retorciera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is retorciera.
  8. hemos retorcido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos retorcido.
  9. retuerzas — The negative imperative form is retuerzas.
  10. retorciendo — The gerund of retorcer is retorciendo: estoy retorciendo. The participle retorcido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does retorcer mean in English?

retorcer means to twist, to wring. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of retorcer?

The gerund is retorciendo and the past participle is retorcido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I twist" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo retorcí el paño para secarlo — "Yesterday, I twisted the cloth to dry it". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo retorcía el brazo del niño — "As a child, I used to twist the child's arm". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he retorcido el paño para secarlo — "Today, I have twisted the cloth to dry it".

What is the difference between retorcer and torcer?

Torcer is the plain twist — torcer el tobillo. Retorcer adds force: you retuerces a wet towel to wring the water out of 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.

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