Я медленно поднимаюсь по лестнице.

I am slowly climbing the stairs.

Breakdown of Я медленно поднимаюсь по лестнице.

• я: I
• медленно: slowly
• по: up
• подниматься: to climb
• лестница: the stairs

Questions & Answers about Я медленно поднимаюсь по лестнице.

What does медленно mean here and why is it placed before the verb?

медленно is an adverb meaning “slowly.” In Russian, adverbs of manner typically precede the verb they modify, so медленно comes right before поднимаюсь to describe how the action is performed.

What case is лестнице and why is it used with по?

лестнице is in the dative case. The preposition по requires the dative when expressing movement along or up something (in this case, the stairs).

Why does the verb поднимаюсь end with -ся?

The suffix -ся makes the verb reflexive. подниматься (“to ascend/go up”) is the intransitive (reflexive) form of поднимать (“to raise [something]”). With -ся, it means “to go up” by oneself.

What aspect is поднимаюсь, and how would I express a completed action?

поднимаюсь is imperfective aspect, indicating an ongoing action. To express that you’ve already climbed (a completed action), use the perfective verb подняться. For example:
Я медленно поднимусь по лестнице. (“I will slowly climb up the stairs” or “I slowly climbed up the stairs.”)

Why is Я included when Russian often drops subject pronouns?

Russian verb endings indicate the subject, so pronouns are optional. Including Я adds emphasis or clarity—without it, the sentence would still be grammatically correct (Медленно поднимаюсь по лестнице), but less specific about who is climbing.

Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Yes. Russian has flexible word order. For example:
• По лестнице я медленно поднимаюсь. (emphasis on the stairs)
• Медленно я поднимаюсь по лестнице. (emphasis on the slowness)
Each variation shifts the focus but retains the same core meaning.

How else can I say “up the stairs” in Russian?

A common alternative is вверх по лестнице, literally “upwards along the stairs.” So you could say:
Я медленно иду вверх по лестнице. (“I am slowly walking up the stairs.”)

What’s the difference between по лестнице and на лестницу?

• по лестнице
  • dative means “along/up the stairs” (moving on the stairs).
• на лестницу
  • accusative means “onto the staircase” (moving from somewhere else onto the stairs), not necessarily going up them.

Could I use идти instead of подниматься?

Yes. идти (“to go/walk”) is more general, while подниматься specifically means “to ascend/go up.” Using идти you’d probably add a direction:
Я медленно иду вверх по лестнице.
Both sentences are correct, but подниматься focuses on the act of climbing.