torcer

See also: tòrcer

Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *torcĕre, from Latin torquēre.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /toʁˈse(ʁ)/ [tohˈse(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /toʁˈse(ʁ)/ [tohˈse(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /toɾˈse(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /toʁˈse(ʁ)/ [toχˈse(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /toɻˈse(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tuɾˈseɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tuɾˈseɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /tuɾˈse.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: tor‧cer

Verb

torcer (first-person singular present torço, first-person singular preterite torci, past participle torcido)

1. to twist (to turn the ends in opposite directions)
2. to wring (to squeeze or twist tightly so that liquid is forced out)
3. to twist (to injure a body part by bending it in the wrong direction)
4. to hope for something to happen
5. (sports) to support a team
6. (by extension) to hope for someone’s or something’s success

Conjugation

    Conjugation of torcer (c-ç alternation) (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	torcer
Personal	torcer	torceres	torcer	torcermos	torcerdes	torcerem
Gerund
	torcendo
Past participle
Masculine	torcido			torcidos
Feminine	torcida			torcidas
Indicative
Present	torço	torces	torce	torcemos	torceis	torcem
Imperfect	torcia	torcias	torcia	torcíamos	torcíeis	torciam
Preterite	torci	torceste	torceu	torcemos	torcestes	torceram
Pluperfect	torcera	torceras	torcera	torcêramos	torcêreis	torceram
Future	torcerei	torcerás	torcerá	torceremos	torcereis	torcerão
Conditional	torceria	torcerias	torceria	torceríamos	torceríeis	torceriam
Subjunctive
Present	torça	torças	torça	torçamos	torçais	torçam
Imperfect	torcesse	torcesses	torcesse	torcêssemos	torcêsseis	torcessem
Future	torcer	torceres	torcer	torcermos	torcerdes	torcerem
Imperative
Affirmative		torce	torça	torçamos	torcei	torçam
Negative (não)		não torças	não torça	não torçamos	não torçais	não torçam

Related terms

• destorcer
• distorcer
• torcida
• torto
• tortura
• torturar

Further reading

• “torcer”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “torcer”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *torcĕre, from Latin torquēre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /toɾˈθeɾ/ [t̪oɾˈθeɾ] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /toɾˈseɾ/ [t̪oɾˈseɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: tor‧cer

Verb

torcer (first-person singular present tuerzo, first-person singular preterite torcí, past participle torcido)

1. to twist
2. to bend
3. to sprain
4. to veer; to turn
5. (reflexive) to twist, to bend

Conjugation

    Conjugation of torcer (o-ue alternation; c-z alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			torcer
gerund			torciendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		torcido		torcida
		plural		torcidos		torcidas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	tuerzo	tuercestú torcésvos	tuerce	torcemos	torcéis	tuercen
	imperfect	torcía	torcías	torcía	torcíamos	torcíais	torcían
	preterite	torcí	torciste	torció	torcimos	torcisteis	torcieron
	future	torceré	torcerás	torcerá	torceremos	torceréis	torcerán
	conditional	torcería	torcerías	torcería	torceríamos	torceríais	torcerían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	tuerza	tuerzastú torzásvos2	tuerza	torzamos	torzáis	tuerzan
	imperfect (ra)	torciera	torcieras	torciera	torciéramos	torcierais	torcieran
	imperfect (se)	torciese	torcieses	torciese	torciésemos	torcieseis	torciesen
	future1	torciere	torcieres	torciere	torciéremos	torciereis	torcieren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		tuercetú torcévos	tuerza	torzamos	torced	tuerzan
	negative		no tuerzas	no tuerza	no torzamos	no torzáis	no tuerzan

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of torcer (o-ue alternation; c-z alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive torcer	dative	torcerme	torcerte	torcerle, torcerse	torcernos	torceros	torcerles, torcerse
	accusative	torcerme	torcerte	torcerlo, torcerla, torcerse	torcernos	torceros	torcerlos, torcerlas, torcerse
with gerund torciendo	dative	torciéndome	torciéndote	torciéndole, torciéndose	torciéndonos	torciéndoos	torciéndoles, torciéndose
	accusative	torciéndome	torciéndote	torciéndolo, torciéndola, torciéndose	torciéndonos	torciéndoos	torciéndolos, torciéndolas, torciéndose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative tuerce	dative	tuérceme	tuércete	tuércele	tuércenos	not used	tuérceles
	accusative	tuérceme	tuércete	tuércelo, tuércela	tuércenos	not used	tuércelos, tuércelas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative torcé	dative	torceme	torcete	torcele	torcenos	not used	torceles
	accusative	torceme	torcete	torcelo, torcela	torcenos	not used	torcelos, torcelas
with formal second-person singular imperative tuerza	dative	tuérzame	not used	tuérzale, tuérzase	tuérzanos	not used	tuérzales
	accusative	tuérzame	not used	tuérzalo, tuérzala, tuérzase	tuérzanos	not used	tuérzalos, tuérzalas
with first-person plural imperative torzamos	dative	not used	torzámoste	torzámosle	torzámonos	torzámoos	torzámosles
	accusative	not used	torzámoste	torzámoslo, torzámosla	torzámonos	torzámoos	torzámoslos, torzámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative torced	dative	torcedme	not used	torcedle	torcednos	torceos	torcedles
	accusative	torcedme	not used	torcedlo, torcedla	torcednos	torceos	torcedlos, torcedlas
with formal second-person plural imperative tuerzan	dative	tuérzanme	not used	tuérzanle	tuérzannos	not used	tuérzanles, tuérzanse
	accusative	tuérzanme	not used	tuérzanlo, tuérzanla	tuérzannos	not used	tuérzanlos, tuérzanlas, tuérzanse

Derived terms

• dar el brazo a torcer
• destorcer
• torcedura
• torcer el gesto
• torcer la boca
• torcer la cabeza
• torcer la llave
• torcer las palabras
• torcer los ojos
• torcido
• torcimiento
• tuercebotas

Related terms

• contorcer
• estorcer
• retorcer
• tormento
• torsión
• torta
• tortor
• tortura
• torzal
• torzón
• tuerto

Further reading

• “torcer”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025