How to Say "to bow" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to bow” is “inclinar” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Él inclinó la cabeza para saludar.
He tilted his head to say hello.
No inclines mucho la botella o se caerá el vino.
Don't tilt the bottle too much or the wine will fall out.
Ella se inclinó para recoger sus llaves del suelo.
She leaned over to pick up her keys from the floor.
Using 'Se' for Self-Movement
If you are the one leaning or bending over, you must add 'se' to the verb (inclinarse). If you are tilting an object, use it without the 'se'.
A Regular Pattern
This verb follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ar, making it easy to conjugate in all tenses.
Leaning without 'Se'
Mistake: “Yo inclino para leer.”
Correction: Me inclino para leer. (You need the reflexive 'me' because you are moving yourself.)
Related Translations
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