The most common ways to say “slow” in Spanish are:
- lento (masculine adjective) for a masculine noun
- lenta (feminine adjective) for a feminine noun
- despacio (adverb) for “slowly” or to modify verbs
If you’re asking someone to go more slowly, you can say:
- Ir más despacio
- Ve más despacio
- Por favor, vaya más despacio
Notes and nuances:
- Lento/Lenta describe the inherent speed of something (e.g., “El coche es lento” — The car is slow).
- Despacio is used for adverbial speed (e.g., “Habla despacio” — Speak slowly) and also in imperative forms like “¡Habla despacio!”.
- In contexts like clocks or progress, you might see “lento” used figuratively (e.g., “El progreso es lento” — The progress is slow) or phrases like “dos minutos lento” to indicate time a bit slower than normal, though “tardío” or “atrasado” can also describe lateness depending on context.
If you’d like, specify a sentence or context (noun gender, noun type, or whether you need “slow” as an adjective or adverb), and the exact translation can be tailored.
