How to Say "Arms Up" in Spanish

brazos arriba

/bɾaθos ariba/from spelling rules

The English phrase "arms up" is translated into Spanish as brazos arriba.

The phrase brazos arriba is used as a direct command. This is commonly heard in police contexts or during physical exercises.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of brazos (arms) and arriba (up/above).

In Mexico, you might hear Suban los brazos or Pongan los brazos en alto to say arms up. In Argentina, you may hear Levanten las manos.

In a command context, the phrase is often preceded by exclamation marks, such as ¡Brazos arriba!, to indicate an imperative tone.

The word arriba descends from the Latin words 'ad' and 'rīpam', meaning 'to the bank' or 'to the coast'.
In some Spanish dialects, arriba is used idiomatically to mean 'high' in a social or professional sense, such as being 'up' in the hierarchy, far beyond its literal spatial meaning.
While brazos arriba is a literal command, in a fitness or dance setting, an instructor might use the softer phrase brazos en alto to avoid sounding like they are performing a police arrest.

Señora, por favor, levante los brazos para el control de seguridad.
Ma'am, please raise your arms for the security check.
Chicos, levanten los brazos y hagamos algunos ejercicios.
Kids, raise your arms and let's do some exercises.
Damas y caballeros, mantengan los brazos levantados hasta que la atracción se detenga por completo.
Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your arms up until the ride comes to a complete stop.
¡Brazos arriba!
Arms up!
Pongan los brazos arriba, por favor.
Put your arms up, please.
El instructor dijo: brazos arriba.
The instructor said: arms up.

A fitness instructor is leading a class.

Sources

IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries arriba, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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