torcer
/toɾˈθeɾ/
To sprain in Spanish is torcer. Wiktionary also lists esguinzar and hacerse un esguince.
Meaning: to weaken a joint, ligament, or muscle (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| torcer | /toɾˈθeɾ/ /toɾˈseɾ/ |
|
| esguinzar | /esɡinˈθaɾ/ /esɡinˈsaɾ/ |
|
| hacerse un esguince | /aθeɾse un esɡinθe/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /aseɾse un esɡinse/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
|
| distender | /distenˈdeɾ/ | |
| distensión | /distenˈsjon/ | feminine |
The term sprain involves weakening a joint, ligament or muscle. In natural conversation, a person usually says hacerse un esguince (to make oneself a sprain) rather than using a single verb to express having sprained a joint. The noun distensión is specifically used to refer to a muscle strain.
Which one should you use?
For the most natural way to say one has sprained a joint, use the phrase hacerse un esguince. Note that esguince refers to a ligament sprain, whereas the noun distensión refers to a muscle strain. Additionally, distorsión is an alternative term for a sprain.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word distensión is a feminine noun. Related nouns for the act or result of spraining include torcedura, esguince and desguince.
How do you pronounce it?
/toɾˈθeɾ/
Did you know?
- While torcer refers to the act of twisting, it is also used in Spanish to describe a 'twist' in a story or a 'wrong turn' in a moral sense.
- The verb torcer is a direct descendant of the Latin verb torquēre, which also gave rise to the English word 'torque'.
- The phrase hacerse un esguince literally translates to 'to make oneself a sprain', reflecting a common Spanish tendency to frame injuries as something one 'makes'.
Examples in context
- Me torcí el brazo mientras jugaba fútbol.I sprained my arm while playing soccer
- Ayer sufrí una torcedura en el cuello.Yesterday I had a sprain in my neck
- Sufrió una distorsión en el tobillo mientras caminaba.He/she suffered a sprain in the ankle while walking
- Me temo que me voy a torcer el tobillo.I'm afraid I might sprain my ankle.
- No te muevas para no torcerte la muñeca.Don't move so you don't sprain your wrist.
- Es fácil torcerse un dedo jugando al baloncesto.It is easy to sprain a finger playing basketball.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are at a local sports court.
- Javier¡Cuidado! No quiero que te vayas a torcer el pie.Careful! I don't want you to sprain your foot.
- LucíaGracias, Javier, pero estoy muy concentrada.Thanks, Javier, but I am very focused.
- Javier¿Estás segura de que no te vas a torcer nada?Are you sure you aren't going to sprain anything?
- LucíaSí, tengo los tobillos muy fuertes.Yes, my ankles are very strong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sprain” translations and entries torcer, esguinzar, distender, distensión, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries distender, esguince, esguinzar, torcer, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
