How to Say “Very Slow” in Spanish

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muy lento
/mui lento/from spelling rules
The English phrase "very slow" is translated into Spanish as muy lento.
This phrase is used to describe something that moves or happens at a very low speed. For example, you might use it to say avanzar muy lento (to advance very slowly).

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase consists of muy, meaning "very" and lento, meaning "slow".

Which one should you use?

While muy lento is the standard expression, you can use sumamente lento to express "extremely slow" with stronger emphasis or súper lento for an informal way to say "very slow". In some regions, particularly in Latin America, the informal term recontralento is used to convey that something is "super slow".

Is it said differently in some regions?

In the Dominican Republic, the colloquial expression requete lento is used to express "extremely slow" with added emphasis.

How does it change in a sentence?

The phrase must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use muy lenta for feminine singular nouns, muy lentos for masculine plural nouns and muy lentas for feminine plural nouns.

Did you know?

  • The word lento shares an ancient root with the Old Spanish word liento, which meant 'humid' or 'wet'.

Examples in context

  • El Internet está muy lento.
    Internet is very slow.
    This sentence shows how to describe the speed of the Internet using muy lento.
    Tatoeba #4513086 by cueyayotl, translation #1689028 by shanghainese
  • En Serbia, los trenes son muy lentos.
    In Serbia, the trains are very slow.
    This sentence demonstrates using the plural form muy lentos to describe trains.
    Tatoeba #2828714 by marcelostockle, translation #2819583 by CN
  • Es muy lento.
    It's very slow.
    This sentence shows a simple way to use muy lento to describe an object or situation.
    Tatoeba #2413979 by hayastan, translation #2249378 by CK
  • El tráfico en la ciudad está muy lento hoy.
    The traffic in the city is very slow today.
  • El progreso de la construcción es sumamente lento.
    The progress of the construction is extremely slow.
  • La música está sonando súper lento.
    The music is playing very slowly.
  • Mi computadora está recontralenta hoy.
    My computer is super slow today.
  • La película se desarrolla muy despacio.
    The movie unfolds very slowly.
  • El servicio en el restaurante fue requete lento.
    The service at the restaurant was extremely slow.
  • 1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Daniel and María are walking behind a tourist in the street.

  1. Daniel

    Ese hombre camina muy lento.
    That man walks very slow.
  2. María

    Sí, no podemos pasarlo.
    Yes, we cannot pass him.
  3. Daniel

    Vamos a cambiar de acera.
    Let's change sidewalks.
  4. María

    Es una buena idea, Daniel.
    That is a good idea, Daniel.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries lento, muy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
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Brayden Landon
Brayden LandonHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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