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torturar

tor-too-RAHR/toɾtuˈɾaɾ/

“torturar” means “to torture” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to torture

Also: to rack
VerbB2regular ar
A sad character sitting in a dark room with a single spotlight, looking physically exhausted and distressed.
gerundtorturando
past Participletorturado
infinitivetorturar

📝 In Action

Muchos prisioneros fueron torturados durante la guerra.

B1

Many prisoners were tortured during the war.

Es ilegal torturar a cualquier persona bajo cualquier circunstancia.

B2

It is illegal to torture anyone under any circumstances.

La policía no puede torturar a los sospechosos para obtener información.

B1

The police cannot torture suspects to get information.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • martirizar (to martyrize/torment)
  • atormentar (to torment)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • torturar psicológicamente – to torture psychologically
  • métodos para torturar – torture methods

to torment

Also: to worry sick
VerbB1regular ar
A character holding their head in their hands with dark, swirling clouds hovering closely above them.
gerundtorturando
past Participletorturado
infinitivetorturar

📝 In Action

No te tortures más por lo que pasó.

B1

Don't torment yourself anymore over what happened.

Me tortura la duda de si tomé la decisión correcta.

B1

The doubt of whether I made the right decision is tormenting me.

Ese ruido me está torturando, no puedo concentrarme.

A2

That noise is torturing me, I can't concentrate.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Idioms & Expressions

  • torturarse la cabeza – to overthink something until it causes stress

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedestorturaran
yotorturara
tútorturaras
vosotrostorturarais
nosotrostorturáramos
él/ella/ustedtorturara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedestorturen
yotorture
tútortures
vosotrostorturéis
nosotrostorturemos
él/ella/ustedtorture

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedestorturaron
yotorturé
tútorturaste
vosotrostorturasteis
nosotrostorturamos
él/ella/ustedtorturó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedestorturaban
yotorturaba
tútorturabas
vosotrostorturabais
nosotrostorturábamos
él/ella/ustedtorturaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedestorturan
yotorturo
tútorturas
vosotrostorturáis
nosotrostorturamos
él/ella/ustedtortura
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "torturar" in Spanish:

to rack→to torment→to torture→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: torturar

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence means 'Don't overthink it'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
tortura(torture) — Noun
torturador(torturer) — Noun
tortuoso(tortuous / twisting) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'torturare', which comes from 'torquere' (to twist). It originally referred to the twisting of limbs to cause pain.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: tortureFrench: torturerItalian: torturare

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'torturar' used for minor things like a mosquito bite?

Usually no. Use 'molestar' (to annoy) or 'picar' (to sting/itch). 'Torturar' is reserved for serious suffering or intense emotional worry.

Is it a regular verb?

Yes! It follows the standard -ar conjugation rules in all tenses, so if you know how to conjugate 'hablar', you know 'torturar'.

Can I use 'torturar' for a 'tortuous' road?

No. For a road with many twists and turns, use the adjective 'tortuoso' (e.g., 'un camino tortuoso'). 'Torturar' is only the action of causing pain.