Breakdown of Muovo le spalle lentamente.
lentamente
slowly
muovere
to move (something, set it in motion)
la spalla
the shoulder
Questions & Answers about Muovo le spalle lentamente.
Why does it use le spalle (the shoulders) instead of le mie spalle (my shoulders)?
In Italian, you usually use the definite article (il, la, i, le) for body parts instead of a possessive word (like "my" or "your"), as long as it is clear whose body part it is. Since the verb is muovo (I move), it is already obvious whose shoulders are moving!
Which verb does muovo come from?
It comes from the verb muovere (to move). Notice the "uo" vowel combination in muovo? This verb has a slight shift in the present tense. When the spoken stress falls on the root of the word, you use "uo" (io muovo, tu muovi). When the stress moves to the ending, it goes back to just "o" (like in noi moviamo, meaning we move).
Can I use the verb spostare instead of muovere to say "I move" here?
How is the word lentamente formed?
In Italian, you can turn many adjectives into adverbs ending in "-ly" by taking the feminine singular form of the adjective and adding the suffix -mente. The adjective for "slow" is lento, its feminine form is lenta, so adding -mente creates lentamente (slowly).
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