Torcer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb torcer means to twist, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Torcer means to twist: torcer el tobillo is to twist your ankle, and torcer el alambre is to bend wire. It is also used for twisting expressions and words: torcer el gesto. Like every Spanish verb, torcer 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 tuerzo el tobillo en el partido — "I twist his ankle in the match". 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: tuerzo, tuerces, tuerce and tuercen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: torcemos, torcéis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: torcer
  • English: to twist
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: torciendo
  • Past participle: torcido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + torcido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tuerzo | | tú | tuerces | | él/ella/Ud. | tuerce | | nosotros/as | torcemos | | vosotros/as | torcéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tuercen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | torcí | | tú | torciste | | él/ella/Ud. | torció | | nosotros/as | torcimos | | vosotros/as | torcisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | torcieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | torcía | | tú | torcías | | él/ella/Ud. | torcía | | nosotros/as | torcíamos | | vosotros/as | torcíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | torcían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | torceré | | tú | torcerás | | él/ella/Ud. | torcerá | | nosotros/as | torceremos | | vosotros/as | torceréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | torcerán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | torcería | | tú | torcerías | | él/ella/Ud. | torcería | | nosotros/as | torceríamos | | vosotros/as | torceríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | torcerían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tuerza | | tú | tuerzas | | él/ella/Ud. | tuerza | | nosotros/as | torzamos | | vosotros/as | torcáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tuerzan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | torciera | | tú | torcieras | | él/ella/Ud. | torciera | | nosotros/as | torciéramos | | vosotros/as | torcierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | torcieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tuerce | | él/ella/Ud. | tuerza | | nosotros/as | torzamos | | vosotros/as | torced | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tuerzan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tuerzas | | él/ella/Ud. | tuerza | | nosotros/as | torzamos | | vosotros/as | torcáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tuerzan |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: tuerzo, tuerces, tuerce and tuercen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: torcemos, torcéis. For torcer, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tuerzo el tobillo en el partido — "I twist his ankle in the match".

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 torcer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo torcí la muñeca al caer — "Yesterday, I twisted his wrist when he fell".

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 torcer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo torcía el alambre con unas tenazas — "As a child, I used to twist the wire with pliers".

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 torcer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo torceré el gesto con ironía — "Tomorrow, I will twist his expression ironically".

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 torcer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo torcería el tobillo en el partido si pudiera — "I would twist his ankle in the match 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 torcer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he torcido la muñeca al caer — "Today, I have twisted his wrist when he fell".

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 torcer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había torcido el alambre con unas tenazas antes de salir — "I already had twisted the wire with pliers 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 torcer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré torcido el gesto con ironía — "By tomorrow, I will have twisted his expression ironically".

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 torcer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría torcido el tobillo en el partido con más tiempo — "I would have twisted his ankle in the match 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: tuerzo, tuerces, tuerce and tuercen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: torcemos, torcéis. For torcer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tuerza la muñeca al caer — "I hope he twists his wrist when he fell".

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 torcer, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo torciera el alambre con unas tenazas, todo cambiaría — "If I twisted the wire with pliers, 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: tuerzo, tuerces, tuerce and tuercen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: torcemos, torcéis. For torcer, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Tuerce el gesto con ironía. — "Twist his expression ironically.".

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: tuerzo, tuerces, tuerce and tuercen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: torcemos, torcéis. For torcer, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No tuerzas el tobillo en el partido. — "Do not twist his ankle in the match.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo tuerzo el tobillo en el partido — "I twist his ankle in the match"
  2. Mi amigo tuerce la muñeca al caer — "My friend twists his wrist when he fell"
  3. Ayer, yo torcí el alambre con unas tenazas — "Yesterday, I twisted the wire with pliers"
  4. Antes, nosotros torcíamos el gesto con ironía — "Before, we used to twist his expression ironically"
  5. Mañana, tú torcerás la toalla para escurrirla — "Tomorrow, you will twist the towel to wring it out"
  6. Yo torcería el tobillo en el partido si tuviera más tiempo — "I would twist his ankle in the match if I had more time"
  7. Él ha torcido la muñeca al caer — "He has twisted his wrist when he fell"
  8. Espero que él tuerza el alambre con unas tenazas — "I hope he twists the wire with pliers"
  9. Yo ya había torcido el gesto con ironía antes de salir — "I already had twisted his expression ironically before leaving"
  10. Ellos torcían la toalla para escurrirla cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to twist the towel to wring it out when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo torco la muñeca al caer. — Right: Yo tuerzo la muñeca al caer. — torcer is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tuerzo, not torco.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él tuerce la muñeca al caer — Right: Espero que él tuerza la muñeca al caer — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tuerza la muñeca al caer — not the indicative Espero que él tuerce la muñeca al caer.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo tuerzo el alambre con unas tenazas — Right: Ayer, yo torcí el alambre con unas tenazas — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo torcí el alambre con unas tenazas.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo torcí el gesto con ironía todos los días — Right: De niño, yo torcía el gesto con ironía todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo torcía el gesto con ironía todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo tuerzo en el tobillo en el partido. — Right: Yo tuerzo el tobillo en el partido. — torcer takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo tuerzo el tobillo en el partido.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el tobillo en el partido — "I twist his ankle in the match" (present) A. tuerce B. torcemos C. tuerzo D. tuerces

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la muñeca al caer — "He twisted his wrist when he fell" (preterite) A. torciste B. torcimos C. torció D. torcí

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el alambre con unas tenazas — "We used to twist the wire with pliers" (imperfect) A. torcías B. torcíais C. torcíamos D. torcía

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el gesto con ironía — "You will twist his expression ironically" (future) A. torcerás B. torceré C. torcerá D. torceremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la toalla para escurrirla — "I would twist the towel to wring it out" (conditional) A. torcería B. torcerías C. torceríamos D. torceríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el tobillo en el partido — "I hope he twists his ankle in the match" (present subjunctive) A. torzamos B. torcáis C. tuerza D. tuerzas

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la muñeca al caer, todo cambiaría — "If I twisted his wrist when he fell, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. torciéramos B. torcierais C. torciera D. torcieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el alambre con unas tenazas — "We have twisted the wire with pliers" (present perfect) A. has torcido B. ha torcido C. hemos torcido D. he torcido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el gesto con ironía. — "Do not twist his expression ironically." (negative imperative) A. tuerzas B. tuerza C. torzamos D. torcáis

  10. Which is the gerund of torcer, used with estar for the progressive? A. torcido B. tuerzo C. torcí D. torciendo

Answer key

  1. tuerzo — The present form for yo is tuerzo.
  2. torció — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is torció.
  3. torcíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is torcíamos.
  4. torcerás — The future form for tú is torcerás.
  5. torcería — The conditional form for yo is torcería.
  6. tuerza — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tuerza.
  7. torciera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is torciera.
  8. hemos torcido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos torcido.
  9. tuerzas — The negative imperative form is tuerzas.
  10. torciendo — The gerund of torcer is torciendo: estoy torciendo. The participle torcido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does torcer mean in English?

torcer means to twist. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo tuerzo el tobillo en el partido — "I twist his ankle in the match". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is torcer regular?

No. torcer is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tuerzo, tuerces, tuerce and tuercen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: torcemos, torcéis. 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 torcer?

The gerund is torciendo and the past participle is torcido. 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 torcí la muñeca al caer — "Yesterday, I twisted his wrist when he fell". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo torcía el alambre con unas tenazas — "As a child, I used to twist the wire with pliers". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he torcido la muñeca al caer — "Today, I have twisted his wrist when he fell".

What is the difference between torcer and retorcer?

Retorcer is the stronger form — to twist hard or to wring out, as in retorcer la toalla. Torcer is the plain twist. Torcer means to twist: torcer el tobillo is to twist your ankle, and torcer el alambre is to bend wire. It is also used for twisting expressions and words: torcer el gesto.

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