Why Mover Is Much More Than "To Move"
Mover is the everyday verb for moving something from one place to another. It changes its stem (muevo, mueves, mueve, movemos, mueven), and it appears in vivid chunks about effort, laziness, strategy and getting around.
Learn the six chunks below and you will understand them in conversation and in the news.
Pattern 1: Mover algo — "To move something"
The basic meaning: you shift an object from one place to another. Add a for where it goes. For placing things, see [Poner] Chunks.
- ¿Puedes mover el coche? — Can you move the car?
- Mueve la mesa a la izquierda. — Move the table to the left.
- No puedo mover este sofá yo solo. — I can't move this sofa by myself.
Chunk to learn:
Mover + [el coche / la mesa / el sofá]
Pattern 2: ¡Muévete! — "Get moving!"
With se, you move yourself: ¡muévete! means hurry or make room, and no te muevas means stay still. For hurrying, see [Apurar] Chunks.
- ¡Muévete, que llegamos tarde! — Get moving, we're going to be late!
- Muévete un poco, no cabemos. — Shift over a bit, we don't fit.
- No te muevas, voy a sacar la foto. — Don't move, I'm going to take the picture.
Chunk to learn:
¡Muévete! / No te muevas
Pattern 3: Mover cielo y tierra — "To move heaven and earth"
The same image as English, for doing everything possible. It works for love, family and big goals. For getting what you want, see [Conseguir] Chunks.
- Movió cielo y tierra para encontrarlo. — She moved heaven and earth to find him.
- Moveré cielo y tierra por ti. — I'll move heaven and earth for you.
- Mueve cielo y tierra para conseguir entradas. — He's doing everything to get tickets.
Chunk to learn:
Mover cielo y tierra (para + [infinitivo])
Pattern 4: No mover un dedo — "Not to lift a finger"
The opposite of the last chunk: someone who does nothing to help. It is a common criticism. For helping, see [Ayudar] Chunks.
- No movió un dedo para ayudar. — He didn't lift a finger to help.
- Nadie movió un dedo. — Nobody lifted a finger.
- Yo no muevo un dedo por él. — I won't lift a finger for him.
Chunk to learn:
No mover un dedo (por / para + [algo])
Pattern 5: Mover ficha — "To make a move"
Borrowed from board games: you move a piece, so you act in a strategic situation. Related is mover los hilos for pulling strings behind the scenes. For winning, see [Ganar] Chunks.
- Es hora de mover ficha. — It's time to make a move.
- Ellos movieron ficha primero. — They made their move first.
- Alguien mueve los hilos en la sombra. — Someone is pulling the strings from the shadows.
Chunk to learn:
Mover ficha / Mover los hilos
Pattern 6: Moverse por… — "To get around…"
Use por for the place and en for how you travel. It is also how you say someone is comfortable in a field or circle. For other movement verbs, see [Andar] Chunks.
- Me muevo en bici por la ciudad. — I get around the city by bike.
- Se mueve bien en el mundo de la moda. — She's at home in the fashion world.
- En Madrid es fácil moverse en metro. — In Madrid it's easy to get around by metro.
Chunk to learn:
Moverse por + [ciudad] / en + [bici / metro]
Mover vs. Mudarse
Mover is to shift something or yourself: moví la mesa. Mudarse is to move to a new home: me mudé a Madrid. For living somewhere, see [Vivir] Chunks. Do not say me moví a Madrid for changing cities; Spanish uses mudarse.
Start with ¡muévete! and mover cielo y tierra. You will hear both the first time you ask a friend for something important.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.