Der Stuhl bewegt sich langsam.

The chair moves slowly.

Breakdown of Der Stuhl bewegt sich langsam.

• der Stuhl: the chair
• langsam: slowly
• bewegen: to move
• sich: itself

Questions & Answers about Der Stuhl bewegt sich langsam.

Why is Der used here instead of Die or Das?

In German, nouns have grammatical genders. Stuhl is masculine, so it takes the masculine definite article Der. If it were a feminine or neuter noun, it would use Die or Das, respectively.

Why does Stuhl start with a capital letter?

All nouns in German are capitalized, no matter where they appear in a sentence, which is why Stuhl (meaning "chair") starts with a capital S.

Why do we need the reflexive pronoun sich in bewegt sich?

The verb (sich) bewegen can be reflexive in German to express that something or someone moves on its or their own. This reflexive usage often focuses on the subject’s own movement. Some verbs in German require sich for their correct reflexive form.

What role does langsam play in the sentence?

Here, langsam is an adverb modifying bewegt. It describes how the chair is moving. In English, it would be "slowly." In German, adverbs often come after the verb — especially if they describe the manner in which the action is performed.

Can langsam appear in a different position?

Yes, you can place langsam in different positions for emphasis. For example, Langsam bewegt sich der Stuhl (emphasizing how slowly it moves) or Der Stuhl bewegt sich langsam (a more neutral statement). German word order is relatively flexible with adverbs.