помедленнее
pomedlenneye
To slow down in Russian, use помедленнее (pomedlenneye).
помедленнее is used as a polite or direct request for someone to reduce their speed of movement or speech.
Meaning: (''intransitive'') to decelerate (verb)
Which one should you use?
Use медленно to describe the manner of an action (e.g., 'He walks slowly'), but use помедленнее when requesting a change to a slower speed (e.g., 'Slow down').
How does it change in a sentence?
While 'slow down' is a verb in English, the Russian word помедленнее functions as an adverb used to request a slower pace.
How do you pronounce it?
pomedlenneye
Did you know?
- In a very informal or slang context, a Russian might say притормози to tell someone to slow down their behavior or stop acting impulsively.
- To tell a driver to slow down in an emergency, Russians might shout тормози ('brake') instead of помедленнее.
- The word медленно (slowly) is a neutral description, but adding the prefix 'по-' to create помедленнее shifts the word from a state of being to an active request for change.
Examples in context
- Ты можешь чуть помедленнее?Can you slow down a little?This sentence shows how to ask someone to slow down a little using помедленнее.Tatoeba #5077505 by odexed, translation #3476733 by Hybrid
- Помедленнее, Том! Ты что спешишь как на пожар?Slow down, Tom! Where's the fire?This sentence uses помедленнее in a more urgent or idiomatic context.Tatoeba #2649745 by sharptoothed, translation #2649744 by sharptoothed
- Помедленнее!Slow down!This sentence demonstrates the direct use of помедленнее as a command or request.Tatoeba #3335384 by Biga, translation #3022436 by sharptoothed
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ekaterina is teaching Sergey how to dance.
- Екатерина EkaterinaСергей, давай помедленнее, чтобы я успела.Sergey, davay pomedlennee, chtoby ya uspela.Sergey, let's go a bit slower so I can keep up.
- Сергей SergeyХорошо, я постараюсь сбавить темп.Khorosho, ya postaraqus sbavat temp.Okay, I'll try to slow down the tempo.
- Екатерина EkaterinaВот так, теперь всё правильно.Vot tak, teper' vsyo pravil'no.There you go, now it's correct.
- Сергей SergeyТак мне гораздо проще повторять за тобой.Tak mne gorazdo proshche povtoryat' za toboy.It's much easier for me to follow you this way.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
