How to Say "to kneel" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to kneel” is “arrodillar” — B1 level.
Examples
El castigo lo arrodilló frente a todos.
The punishment made him kneel in front of everyone.
La crisis arrodilló a las pequeñas empresas.
The crisis brought the small businesses to their knees.
No pudieron arrodillar al pueblo con amenazas.
They couldn't break the people's spirit with threats.
Doing it to yourself vs. Doing it to others
Use 'arrodillar' when one person makes another person kneel. If you are the one kneeling down, you must add 'se' to make it 'arrodillarse'.
The 'A' Connection
This verb is formed by adding 'a-' to 'rodilla' (knee). Many Spanish verbs follow this pattern to describe an action involving a body part.
The missing 'se'
Mistake: “Me arrodillo en la iglesia.”
Correction: This is actually correct! But saying just 'Arrodillo en la iglesia' is wrong because you need the 'me' to show you are doing it to yourself.
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