Mi perro mueve la cola rápidamente.

My dog moves its tail quickly.

Breakdown of Mi perro mueve la cola rápidamente.

• mi: my
• el perro: the dog
• rápidamente: quickly
• mover: to move
• la cola: the tail

Questions & Answers about Mi perro mueve la cola rápidamente.

Why do we use mueve instead of mueven?

The verb mover is conjugated in the third-person singular (él/ella/usted), which matches mi perro (a singular subject). Mueven would be for a plural subject (ellos/ellas/ustedes).

Why is it "la cola" instead of "su cola"?

In Spanish, it’s common to use the definite article (la, el) when referring to parts of the body (or animal body parts). Saying mi perro mueve la cola is the standard way to express it in Spanish, rather than using a possessive like su.

Why is rápidamente used instead of rápido?

Rápidamente is an adverb that tells us how the action (mover) is performed. Rápido can be used as an adjective to describe nouns or, informally, as an adverb. But in more formal contexts, Spanish typically turns the adjective rápido into the adverb rápidamente when modifying a verb.

Can I say Mi perro está moviendo la cola rápidamente instead?

Yes, you can use the present progressive (está moviendo) to emphasize that the action is happening right now. However, saying mueve la cola is also perfectly correct and can imply a general or habitual action (like saying “My dog wags his tail”).

How do I pronounce rápidamente?

Break it down into syllables: rá-pi-da-men-te.
• rá – rolled “r” plus “á” as in “father”
• pi – short “i” sound like “ee” in “feet”
• da – short “a” sound as in “father” (but unstressed)
• men – short “e” as in “men” in English
• te – short “e” sound again as in “men”