Breakdown of Der Mann bewegt sich langsam im Haus.
der Mann
the man
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
das Haus
the house
langsam
slowly
sich bewegen
to move
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Questions & Answers about Der Mann bewegt sich langsam im Haus.
Why is sich used after bewegt?
Because sich bewegen is a reflexive verb. Sich is the reflexive pronoun (here in the accusative) referring back to der Mann, showing he “moves himself.” Without sich, bewegen would be transitive (“to move something”).
Why does bewegt end in ‑t?
Bewegt is the 3rd person singular present tense of the regular verb bewegen. In German, verbs in the er/sie/es form typically take an ‑t ending.
Why is der Mann in the nominative case?
Because der Mann is the subject of the sentence—the one doing the moving. In German, the subject always appears in the nominative case.
Why isn’t langsam inflected like an adjective (for example, langsamer)?
Here langsam is an adverb modifying the verb bewegt (“moves slowly”), not an adjective modifying a noun. Adverbs in German are not inflected.
Where does the adverb langsam go, and could it go somewhere else?
Manner adverbs usually follow the conjugated verb (and any objects) in German. So you get Der Mann bewegt sich langsam…. You could also start with Langsam for emphasis: Langsam bewegt sich der Mann im Haus, but the finite verb still stays in second position.
Why is im used instead of in dem, and what case is Haus in?
Im is simply the contraction of in dem. When in expresses location (“wo?”), it requires the dative case. Hence in + dem Haus becomes im Haus (“inside the house”).
What is the usual order for adverbials of time, manner, and place in German?
The normal sequence is Time–Manner–Place. For example: Heute (time) bewegt sich der Mann langsam (manner) im Haus (place). In our sentence, with no explicit time element, you see Manner before Place.
Could you use another verb like gehen instead of sich bewegen?
Yes, but with a different nuance. Der Mann geht langsam im Haus means “The man walks slowly in the house.” Sich bewegen is more general (“to move oneself”) and not necessarily walking.
Why is there no direct object in this sentence?
Because sich bewegen is used intransitively and reflexively here. The action doesn’t affect a separate object—the only object is the reflexive pronoun sich.
Why does bewegt appear in the second position of the sentence?
German main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb almost always occupies the second position. Here, the subject Der Mann is first, so bewegt must come next.