How to Say "to impound" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to impound” is “confiscar” — use 'confiscar' when talking about taking away something, especially personal items like phones or toys, due to rules being broken..
confiscar
/kon-fees-kar//koɱfisˈkaɾ/
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'.
apresar
/a-pre-SAR//a.pɾeˈsaɾ/
Examples
La marina apresó un buque que transportaba mercancía ilegal.
The navy seized a ship carrying illegal goods.
El cargamento fue apresado en el puerto.
The shipment was seized at the port.
Apresaron el barco enemigo durante la batalla.
They seized the enemy ship during the battle.
No Personal 'A' for Objects
Unlike when you capture people, do not use 'a' when you are seizing objects like ships or boxes. Just say 'apresar el barco'.
Confusing with 'apresurarse'
Mistake: “Tienes que apresarte.”
Correction: Tienes que apresurarte. 'Apresar' means to catch, while 'apresurarse' means to hurry.
secuestrar
/seh-kwes-TRAR//sekuesˈtɾaɾ/
Examples
El juez ordenó secuestrar todos los documentos de la empresa.
The judge ordered the seizure of all the company's documents.
La policía secuestró la edición de la revista por orden judicial.
The police seized the magazine edition by court order.
Legal Use
This meaning is almost always used in legal writing where the subject is a court, judge, or government authority.
Confusing Legal Seizure with Simple Confiscation
Related Translations
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