Mi hija tuvo que agacharse para recoger el lápiz que se le cayó debajo de la mesa.

My daughter had to bend down to pick up the pencil that fell under the table.

Breakdown of Mi hija tuvo que agacharse para recoger el lápiz que se le cayó debajo de la mesa.

• mi: my
• para: to
• la mesa: the table
• el lápiz: the pencil

Questions & Answers about Mi hija tuvo que agacharse para recoger el lápiz que se le cayó debajo de la mesa.

Why is it tuvo que and not tenía que?

Both can mean had to, but they are used differently.

• tuvo que = a completed obligation in a specific situation
  
  • Mi hija tuvo que agacharse... = My daughter had to bend down... on that particular occasion.
• tenía que = a habitual, ongoing, or background obligation
  
  • De pequeña, mi hija tenía que agacharse mucho = When she was little, my daughter often had to bend down a lot.

Here, the sentence describes one completed event, so tuvo que is the natural choice.

Why do we say agacharse and not just agachar?

Because agacharse means to bend down / crouch down oneself, while agachar usually means to lower something or to lower a part of the body.

Compare:

• agacharse = to crouch / bend down
• agachar la cabeza = to lower your head

In this sentence, the daughter herself bends down, so the reflexive form agacharse is used.

Why is it para recoger?