Arrodillarse Present Tense in Spanish
arrodillarse means "to kneel" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for arrodillarse, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo me arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana. — "Every day, I kneel in the church in the morning." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of arrodillarse: full table
Every person of arrodillarse in the present tense. The gerund is arrodillándose and the past participle is arrodillado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me arrodillo |
| tú | te arrodillas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se arrodilla |
| nosotros/as | nos arrodillamos |
| vosotros/as | os arrodilláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se arrodillan |
The gerund of arrodillarse is arrodillándose and the past participle is arrodillado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy arrodillándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he arrodillado). Because arrodillarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of arrodillarse is formed
The present tense of arrodillarse is built from the stem arrodill- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me arrodillo, tú te arrodillas, él se arrodilla, nosotros nos arrodillamos, vosotros os arrodilláis and ellos se arrodillan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me arrodillo |
| tú | -as | te arrodillas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se arrodilla |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos arrodillamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os arrodilláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se arrodillan |
arrodillarse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form arrodilláis.
arrodillarse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is arrodillándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is arrodillado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is arrodillándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy arrodillándose. The past participle is arrodillado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he arrodillado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with arrodillarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana. — "Every day, I kneel in the church in the morning." The complement in this sentence is about the church in the morning, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrodillarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te arrodillas ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "Now, you kneel before the king in the ceremony." The complement in this sentence is about the king in the ceremony, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrodillarse in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él se arrodilla en el jardín para plantar. — "Normally, he/she kneels in the garden to plant." The complement in this sentence is about the garden to plant, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrodillarse in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros nos arrodillamos junto a la cama del niño. — "Tomorrow, we kneel beside the child's bed." The complement in this sentence is about beside the child's bed, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrodillarse in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos se arrodillan en la iglesia por la mañana. — "Always, they kneel in the church in the morning." The complement in this sentence is about the church in the morning, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrodillarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: arrodillarse
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with arrodillarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana. — "Every day, I kneel in the church in the morning."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me arrodillé en la iglesia por la mañana. — "Yesterday, I knelt in the church in the morning."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú te arrodillas ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "Every day, you kneel before the king in the ceremony."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te arrodillaste ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "Yesterday, you knelt before the king in the ceremony."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él se arrodilla en el jardín para plantar. — "Every day, he/she kneels in the garden to plant."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se arrodilló en el jardín para plantar. — "Yesterday, he/she knelt in the garden to plant."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: arrodillarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show arrodillarse in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo me arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana. — "I kneel in the church in the morning."
- Tú te arrodillas ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "you kneel before the king in the ceremony."
- Él se arrodilla en el jardín para plantar. — "he/she kneels in the garden to plant."
- Nosotros nos arrodillamos junto a la cama del niño. — "we kneel beside the child's bed."
- Vosotros os arrodilláis en la iglesia por la mañana. — "you (plural) kneel in the church in the morning."
- Ellos se arrodillan ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "they kneel before the king in the ceremony."
- Yo me arrodillo en el jardín para plantar. — "I kneel in the garden to plant."
- Tú te arrodillas junto a la cama del niño. — "you kneel beside the child's bed."
Common mistakes with arrodillarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana.
- Right: Yo me arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana.
- Why: arrodillarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os arrodillais en la iglesia por la mañana.
- Right: Vosotros os arrodilláis en la iglesia por la mañana.
- Why: The vosotros form arrodilláis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me arrodillo ante el rey en la ceremonia.
- Right: Ayer, yo me arrodillé ante el rey en la ceremonia.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me arrodillé ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "Yesterday, I knelt before the king in the ceremony." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me arrodillo en el jardín para plantar.
- Right: Antes, yo me arrodillaba en el jardín para plantar.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me arrodillaba en el jardín para plantar. — "In the past, I used to kneel in the garden to plant." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos arrodilla en la iglesia por la mañana.
- Right: Nosotros nos arrodillamos en la iglesia por la mañana.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes arrodillamos, while arrodilla belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of arrodillarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of arrodillarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of arrodillarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrodillamos
- (b) arrodillo
- (c) arrodillas
- (d) arrodilla
Answer: (b) arrodillo. The yo form is arrodillo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of arrodillarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrodillas
- (b) arrodillo
- (c) arrodilla
- (d) arrodillamos
Answer: (a) arrodillas. The tú form is arrodillas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of arrodillarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrodillo
- (b) arrodillas
- (c) arrodillamos
- (d) arrodilla
Answer: (d) arrodilla. The él/ella form is arrodilla. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of arrodillarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrodillas
- (b) arrodilla
- (c) arrodillamos
- (d) arrodillo
Answer: (c) arrodillamos. The nosotros form is arrodillamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of arrodillarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrodilla
- (b) arrodillan
- (c) arrodillo
- (d) arrodillas
Answer: (b) arrodillan. The ellos/ellas form is arrodillan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en la iglesia por la mañana.
- (a) arrodillo
- (b) arrodillas
- (c) arrodilla
- (d) arrodillamos
Answer: (a) arrodillo. The sentence needs the yo form arrodillo (Every day, I kneel in the church in the morning.)
7. What is the gerund of arrodillarse?
- (a) arrodillando
- (b) arrodillado
- (c) arrodillo
- (d) arrodillarse
Answer: (a) arrodillando. The gerund is arrodillando, used for the progressive: me estoy arrodillando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo me arrodillaba ante el rey en la ceremonia.
- (b) Ayer, yo me arrodillé ante el rey en la ceremonia.
- (c) Mañana, yo me arrodillaré ante el rey en la ceremonia.
- (d) Cada día, yo me arrodillo ante el rey en la ceremonia.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo me arrodillo ante el rey en la ceremonia.. Cada día, yo me arrodillo ante el rey en la ceremonia. (Every day, I kneel before the king in the ceremony.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me arrodillé ante el rey en la ceremonia. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me arrodillaré ante el rey en la ceremonia. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of arrodillarse
Is arrodillarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. arrodillarse is a regular -ar verb: arrodillo, arrodillas, arrodilla, arrodillamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'kneel' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me arrodillo en la iglesia por la mañana. — "Every day, I kneel in the church in the morning." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with arrodillarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me arrodillo ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "Every day, I kneel before the king in the ceremony." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me arrodillé ante el rey en la ceremonia. — "Yesterday, I knelt before the king in the ceremony." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with arrodillarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos arrodillamos junto a la cama del niño. — "Tomorrow, we kneel beside the child's bed." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.