천천히 말해 주세요
cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo
The English phrase 'please speak slowly' is translated to Korean as 천천히 말해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo).
This phrase is a polite request for someone to reduce the speed of their speech to make it easier to understand.
What does it mean word for word?
The adverb 천천히 means 'slowly'.
Which one should you use?
To make a request sound even softer and more polite, you can add 조금만 to the beginning of the phrase, resulting in 조금만 천천히 말해 주세요, which means 'Please speak just a little more slowly'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 천천히 말해 주세요 uses the polite ending –세요, making it appropriate for use with strangers or people you are not close to.
How do you pronounce it?
cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo
Did you know?
- The word 말 meaning 'speech' or 'word' is a homonym for the Korean word for 'horse', which can lead to puns in Korean cinema and literature.
- In very casual settings with close friends, you would drop the polite endings to say 천천히 말해 줘, but using the full version 천천히 말해 주세요 with a friend might actually make you seem distant or cold.
- If you are speaking to someone much older or in a high social position, you might replace 말해 주세요 with the honorific 말씀해 주세요 to show much higher respect.
Examples in context
- 천천히 말해 주세요.Please speak slowly.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 천천히 말해 주세요.Tatoeba #13192521 by atitarev, translation #403059 by Ramses
- 네, 그런데 천천히 설명해줄 수 있을까요?Sure, but can you explain slowly?
- 잘 이해가 안 돼요. 천천히 말해 주세요.jal ihae-ga an dwaeyo. cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo.I don't understand well. Please speak slowly.
- 너무 빨라요. 천천히 말해 주세요.neomu ppallayo. cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo.It's too fast. Please speak slowly.
Example conversation
Hyunwoo is practicing Korean with Minji.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo민지 씨, 말이 너무 빨라요.Minji ssi, mari neomu ppallayo.Minji, you are speaking too fast.
- 민지 Min-ji아, 미안해요. 제가 너무 흥분했나 봐요.a, mianhaeyo. jega neomu heungbunhaenna bwayo.Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I got too excited.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo괜찮아요. 이제 천천히 말해 주세요.gwaenchanayo. ije cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo.It's okay. Please speak slowly now.
- 민지 Min-ji네, 알겠어요. 다시 천천히 말할게요.ne, algesseoyo. dasi cheoncheonhi malhalgeyo.Yes, I understand. I will speak slowly again.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
