Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| devagar | /de.vaˈɡa(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /d͡ʒi.vaˈɡa(ʁ)/ (Brazil) |
| lento | /ˈlẽ.tu/ (Brazil) /ˈlẽ.tu/ (Portugal) |
| lerdo | /ˈlɛʁ.du/ (Brazil) /ˈleʁ.du/ (Brazil) |
In Portuguese, there are several ways to express the concept of being slow. Use devagar to describe the manner of movement or to tell someone to take it easy. You can also use the expression Levar as coisas com calma to mean taking things slowly. The phrase Devagar se vai ao longe! is a common idiom meaning 'Slowly but surely!' If you need to express the action of reducing speed, you can use fazer lento, decelerar or reduzir rapidez.
Which one should you use?
The word lento is typically used as a formal adjective to describe speed (e.g., a slow process), whereas devagar is more common in everyday speech to describe the manner of movement. While lento describes a quality of a thing or process, devagar often functions as an adverb describing how an action is performed.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Lento is a formal adjective, whereas devagar is common in everyday speech. The word lerdo is informal and often used pejoratively to describe a person who is not only physically slow but also mentally slow or sluggish to react.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective lento must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies (lento, lenta, lentos, lentas). However, because devagar is an adverb, it does not change its form to agree with nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of devagar is /de.vaˈɡa(ʁ)/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
When do people say it?
When speaking to someone, you can use the phrase vá devagar to mean 'go slow' or 'take it easy'. Additionally, the proverb Devagar se vai ao longe! (Slowly but surely!) is used to encourage persistence through steady progress.
Did you know?
- The adjective lento shares a surprising historical connection to moisture. It stems from the Latin lentus, which originally described things that were 'wet', 'humid' or 'soft' rather than just slow.
Examples in context
- O serviço é lento.The service is slow.This sentence shows how to use lento to describe a slow service.Tatoeba #8925770 by carlosalberto, translation #8925762 by carlosalberto
- O Tom anda devagar.Tom is a slow walker.This sentence demonstrates the use of devagar to describe a slow manner of walking.Tatoeba #2694231 by vitoreiji, translation #1025146 by CK
- Um gato gordo é lento.A fat cat is slow.This sentence illustrates the use of lento to describe a slow animal.Tatoeba #11662034 by carlosalberto, translation #11661770 by carlosalberto
- Ele dirige devagar.He drives slowly.
- Ela caminha lentamente.She walks slowly.
- A criança anda devagarinho.The child walks slowly.
- Ele é muito lerdo para entender as coisas.He's very slow to understand things.
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Camila are walking in a park.
- FelipeCamila, por que você está andando tão devagar?Camila, why are you walking so slow?
- CamilaEu só quero aproveitar a vista, Felipe.I just want to enjoy the view, Felipe.
- FelipeMas nós vamos chegar atrasados ao cinema.But we are going to arrive late to the cinema.
- CamilaTudo bem, vamos ir mais devagar hoje.That is okay, let's go slower today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “slow” translations and entries devagar, lento, lerdo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries devagar, lento, lerdo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
