How to Say "Speak Slower" in Spanish

habla más despacio

/abla mas despaθjo/from spelling rules

To say "speak slower" in Spanish, you use habla más despacio.

This phrase is a request for someone to reduce the speed of their speech to make it easier to understand.

What does it mean word for word?

The component más despacio literally translates to "more slowly", where más means "more" and despacio means "slowly".

While más lento can be used to mean "more slow", más despacio is the more natural way to specifically request a reduction in the speed of speech.

In Spain, the word vale is often used to mean "okay."

The default form habla más despacio uses the informal imperative (tú), which is appropriate for friends, peers or children.

In Spanish, using the word lento to describe how someone speaks can unintentionally suggest they are being dim-witted or slow to understand. To avoid this, use despacio to focus on the pace of the speech itself.
The word despacio is a linguistic fusion of de and espacio, literally describing the act of speaking as leaving 'space' between words.

Disculpe, ¿podría hablar más despacio?
Excuse me, could you speak slower?
Oye, habla más despacio, ¿vale?
Hey, speak slower, okay?
Hey, habla más despacio. No pillo todo lo que dices.
Hey, speak slower. I don't catch everything you say.
Perdón, ¿puede hablar más despacio, por favor?
Sorry, can you speak more slowly, please?
No te entiendo, habla más despacio.
I don't understand you, speak slower.

A language exchange between two students.

Sources

IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries despacio, habla, más, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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