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How to Say ‘Please speak slowly.’ in German

Bitte sprechen Sie langsam.

BIT-tuh SHPREKH-en zee LAHNG-zahm

[BIT-tuh SHPREKH-en zee LAHNG-zahm]

💬 Usage Tip: Polite requests put the verb before Sie: Sprechen Sie langsam. The same pattern works for other requests: Warten Sie, bitte "wait, please".

Phrase Breakdown

Bitte sprechen Sie

BIT-tuh SHPREKH-en zee

Please speak (formal)

A polite request. 'sprechen' sounds like 'SHPREH-khen'; 'sp' at the start sounds like 'shp'.

Example

Bitte sprechen Sie lauter.

Please speak louder.

Words in this phrase

Bitte

[BIT-tuh]

please

A polite word meaning 'please' or sometimes 'you're welcome.'

Example

Bitte helfen Sie mir.

Please help me.

sprechen

[SHPREKH-en]

speak

A verb used when asking about language ability.

Example

Sprechen Sie Englisch? Ich brauche Hilfe.

Do you speak English? I need help.

Sie

[zee]

You (formal)

Formal second-person pronoun.

Example

Denken Sie, dass Netzwerken wichtig ist?

Do you think networking is important?

langsam.

LAHNG-zahm

slowly.

'langsam' sounds like 'LAHNG-zahm'. The 's' before a vowel sounds like 'z'.

Example

Fahr langsam!

Drive slowly!

Words in this phrase

langsam

[LAHNG-zahm]

slowly

An adverb used when asking someone to reduce their speed of speaking.

Example

Bitte sprechen Sie langsam und deutlich.

Please speak slowly and clearly.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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