How to Say "to confiscate" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to confiscate” is “confiscar” — B1 level.
Examples
El profesor tuvo que confiscar el teléfono del alumno.
The teacher had to confiscate the student's phone.
La policía confiscó los bienes del sospechoso.
The police seized the suspect's assets.
Si no tienes los permisos, la aduana puede confiscar la mercancía.
If you don't have the permits, customs can confiscate the merchandise.
The 'Spelling Change' Rule
For verbs ending in -car, the 'c' changes to 'qu' before an 'e'. This happens in the 'yo' form of the past tense (confisqué) and all forms of the 'wishes/commands' mood (confisque). This is done to keep the hard 'K' sound.
Direct Action
This verb acts directly on the object being taken. You don't need a preposition like 'from' before the item. You just 'confiscar [item]'.
Incorrect Spelling in Past Tense
Mistake: “Yo confiscé.”
Correction: Yo confisqué. Without the 'u', the 'c' would sound like an 's' because it is followed by an 'e'.
Related Translations
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