Moverse

Moverse is a Spanish reflexive verb meaning to move oneself, to relocate, or to change position. It is used to describe physical movement, changes of location, and in some cases figurative motion or progress. The form is reflexive, with the subject acting on itself: me muevo, te mueves, se mueve, nos movemos, os movéis, se mueven. The verb is built from mover plus the reflexive pronoun se, and shares the same stem-changing pattern as mover (o→ue) in many tenses.

Conjugation and usage. In the present indicative the forms are: me muevo, te mueves, se mueve, nos movemos, os movéis, se mueven. Common past tenses include the preterite: me moví, te moviste, se movió, nos movimos, os movisteis, se movieron; imperfect: me movía, te movías, se movía, nos movíamos, os movíais, se movían. The present perfect is formed with haber: me he movido, te has movido, se ha movido, etc. Moverse is typically contrasted with mover (to move something else): mover describes causing motion of an object, while moverse describes the subject’s own action.

Usage notes. Moverse can indicate physical displacement (desplazarse) or changing position in space, as in me muevo hacia la izquierda or la gente se movió al ritmo de la música. It can also express idiomatic or figurative movement, such as progressing in a task or adapting to circumstances. The verbs trasladares y desplazar son common synonyms in formal contexts.

See also. mover, desplazarse, traslado.