천천히 말해 주세요
cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo
The Korean phrase for "speak slowly" is 천천히 말해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo).
This phrase is a polite request used when you want someone to reduce the speed of their speech to make it easier for you to understand.
What does it mean word for word?
The adverb 천천히 means "slowly".
Which one should you use?
While 천천히 말해 주세요 is a direct request to "Please speak slowly", the form 천천히 말씀해 주시겠어요? is a more formal way to ask "Could you please speak slowly?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
천천히 말해 주세요 is a polite form suitable for use with strangers, teachers or people older than you. For close friends or people younger than you, you can use the informal version 천천히 말해 줘.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 천천히 말해 주세요 uses the honorific form -주세요 to make the request polite.
How do you pronounce it?
cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo
Did you know?
- The word 말 meaning 'speech' or 'word' is a homonym in Korean, sharing the same sound and spelling as the word for 'horse'.
- The suffix -주세요 literally translates to 'please give', treating the act of speaking slowly as a favor being given to the listener.
- While 천천히 means 'slowly', it is also used in Korean to tell someone to take their time or not to rush, even if they are not speaking.
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
- 실례지만, 천천히 말해 주세요.Excuse me, could you please speak slowly?
- 형, 천천히 말해 줘.Hey, speak slowly, please.
- 잘 이해가 안 돼요, 천천히 말해 주세요.jal ihaega an dwaeyo, cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo.I don't understand well, please speak slowly.
Example conversation
Seoyeon is practicing Korean with Jihun.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈 씨, 말이 너무 빨라요.Jihun ssi, mari neomu ppallayo.Jihun, you are speaking too fast.
- 지훈 Ji-hun아, 미안해요. 다시 말할게요.a, mianhaeyo. dasi malhalgeyo.Oh, I'm sorry. I will say it again.
- 서연 Seo-yeon이번에는 천천히 말해 주세요.ibeone-neun cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo.Please speak slowly this time.
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 알겠어요. 천천히 말할게요.ne, algesseoyo. cheoncheonhi malhalgeyo.Yes, I understand. I will speak slowly.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
