ajoelhar

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese agẽollar, corresponding to a- +‎ joelho +‎ -ar. Compare Galician axeonllar, Spanish ahinojar, Catalan agenollar, French agenouiller, Italian inginocchiare, Romanian îngenunchea.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.ʒo.eˈʎa(ʁ)/ [a.ʒo.eˈʎa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.ʒo.eˈʎa(ʁ)/ [a.ʒo.eˈʎa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /a.ʒo.eˈʎa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /a.ʒo.eˈʎa(ʁ)/ [a.ʒo.eˈʎa(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.ʒo.eˈʎa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ.ʒwɨˈʎaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ.ʒwɨˈʎaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ.ʒwɨˈʎa.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: a‧jo‧e‧lhar

Verb

ajoelhar (first-person singular present ajoelho, first-person singular preterite ajoelhei, past participle ajoelhado)

1. (takes a reflexive pronoun or intransitive (rare)) to kneel (to stoop down and rest on one’s knees)

   Os súditos se ajoelharam diante do rei.

   The subjects knelt before the king.

2. (figurative, takes a reflexive pronoun, intransitive, or transitive with a or diante de) to kneel to (to accept defeat; to accept someone’s superiority)

   Synonym: genuflectir

   Conseguimos fazer nosso inimigo se ajoelhar.

   We were able to make our enemy kneel.

   Ela ajoelhou-se ao professor.

   She knelt before her teacher.

3. (transitive) to make someone kneel

   Ajoelhei os prisioneiros com um cassetete.

   I made the prisoners kneel with a truncheon.

4. (figurative, transitive, poetic) to subjugate (to forcibly impose obedience or servitude)

   Synonym: subjugar

   Roma ajoelhou seus vizinhos.

   Rome subjugated its neighbours.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of ajoelhar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	ajoelhar
Personal	ajoelhar	ajoelhares	ajoelhar	ajoelharmos	ajoelhardes	ajoelharem
Gerund
	ajoelhando
Past participle
Masculine	ajoelhado			ajoelhados
Feminine	ajoelhada			ajoelhadas
Indicative
Present	ajoelho	ajoelhas	ajoelha	ajoelhamos	ajoelhais	ajoelham
Imperfect	ajoelhava	ajoelhavas	ajoelhava	ajoelhávamos	ajoelháveis	ajoelhavam
Preterite	ajoelhei	ajoelhaste	ajoelhou	ajoelhamos1, ajoelhámos2	ajoelhastes	ajoelharam
Pluperfect	ajoelhara	ajoelharas	ajoelhara	ajoelháramos	ajoelháreis	ajoelharam
Future	ajoelharei	ajoelharás	ajoelhará	ajoelharemos	ajoelhareis	ajoelharão
Conditional	ajoelharia	ajoelharias	ajoelharia	ajoelharíamos	ajoelharíeis	ajoelhariam
Subjunctive
Present	ajoelhe	ajoelhes	ajoelhe	ajoelhemos	ajoelheis	ajoelhem
Imperfect	ajoelhasse	ajoelhasses	ajoelhasse	ajoelhássemos	ajoelhásseis	ajoelhassem
Future	ajoelhar	ajoelhares	ajoelhar	ajoelharmos	ajoelhardes	ajoelharem
Imperative
Affirmative		ajoelha	ajoelhe	ajoelhemos	ajoelhai	ajoelhem
Negative (não)		não ajoelhes	não ajoelhe	não ajoelhemos	não ajoelheis	não ajoelhem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Further reading

• “ajoelhar” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “ajoelhar” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “ajoelhar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “ajoelhar” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
• “ajoelhar” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “ajoelhar” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.