Breakdown of Очередь двигалась очень медленно.
очень
very
медленно
slowly
очередь
queue
двигаться
to move (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Очередь двигалась очень медленно.
Why do we use the reflexive verb двигалась here instead of just двигала?
The verb двигать means to move an object (like moving a table). Because the queue is moving on its own, we need the reflexive suffix -сь to make it intransitive, showing that the action is happening to the subject itself without an outside object.
Is двигаться considered one of the core Verbs of Motion like идти or ехать?
No, двигаться (to move) is not one of the strictly paired Verbs of Motion, but it is often taught alongside them. It describes general physical movement or, in this metaphorical case, the steady advancement of a process or a group of people.
Could we use a standard Verb of Motion like шла here instead?
Yes! Очередь шла очень медленно is perfectly natural and very common in Russian. Using двигалась instead of шла puts slightly more focus on the physical mechanics of the line advancing, rather than just the general flow.
Why does двигалась take the feminine past tense ending -ась?
It must agree with the subject очередь (queue). It is a common pitfall to forget or mix up the gender of nouns ending in a soft sign (-ь), but очередь is feminine, so the verb takes the feminine form.
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