Learning new words in another language is exciting, and it can help you communicate better with people from different places. If you’re looking to learn how to say “slow” and “slowly” in French, this article will help. Knowing how to express the idea of slowness in French will be useful in many situations, like when you’re giving directions, asking someone to slow down, or describing a slow event.
In this article, we’ll cover how to say “slow” and “slowly” in French. We’ll also explore different ways to use these words, how to respond when someone says them to you, and offer exercises to help you practice. By the end, you’ll feel more comfortable using these words in your conversations. Let’s get started!
How to Say “Slow” and “Slowly” in French
In French, the words for “slow” and “slowly” are fairly simple, but there are a few variations depending on the context. Here’s how to say them:
Lent (pronounced: lahnt) – Used for masculine objects or subjects.
- Meaning: “Slow” for masculine nouns or when describing something that is slow.
- In a Sentence:
- Le train est lent. (The train is slow.)
- Ce film est lent. (This movie is slow.)
Lente (pronounced: lahnt) – Used for feminine objects or subjects.
- Meaning: “Slow” for feminine nouns.
- In a Sentence:
- La voiture est lente. (The car is slow.)
- Elle est lente à répondre. (She is slow to respond.)
Lentement (pronounced: lahnt-mahn) – Used for “slowly” in an adverbial form.
- Meaning: “Slowly,” describing the way something is done.
- In a Sentence:
- Il marche lentement. (He walks slowly.)
- Elle parle lentement. (She speaks slowly.)
Doucement (pronounced: doo-seh-mahn) – Another way to say “slowly,” often used when referring to gentleness or care.
- Meaning: “Slowly,” but also implies a sense of softness or gentleness.
- In a Sentence:
- Il mange doucement. (He eats slowly.)
- Ferme doucement la porte. (Close the door slowly.)
Peu à peu (pronounced: puh ah puh) – Literally means “little by little,” but can be used to express something happening slowly over time.
- Meaning: “Little by little,” indicating a gradual or slow process.
- In a Sentence:
- Peu à peu, il apprend le français. (Little by little, he is learning French.)
- Peu à peu, la neige fond. (Little by little, the snow is melting.)
Tranquillement (pronounced: trahn-kee-mahn) – Means “slowly” in a calm or peaceful way.
- Meaning: “Slowly” with a sense of calm or relaxation.
- In a Sentence:
- Elle travaille tranquillement. (She works slowly.)
- Nous marchons tranquillement dans le parc. (We walk slowly in the park.)
Modérément (pronounced: moh-deh-ray-mahn) – Means “moderately” or “slowly,” used to suggest a slower pace or measure.
- Meaning: “Slowly” or moderately, often used in more formal contexts.
- In a Sentence:
- Il parle modérément. (He speaks slowly.)
- Elle court modérément. (She runs slowly.)
À petite vitesse (pronounced: ah puh-teet vee-tehs) – Directly translates to “at a small speed,” used to describe something moving slowly.
- Meaning: “At a small speed,” implying slow movement.
- In a Sentence:
- Le vélo va à petite vitesse. (The bike is going slowly.)
- Le bateau avance à petite vitesse. (The boat is moving slowly.)
Pesamment (pronounced: peh-zah-mahn)
- Meaning: “Slowly,” usually indicating something done in a heavy, slow manner.
- In a Sentence:
- Il marche pesamment. (He walks slowly and heavily.)
- Le vent souffle pesamment. (The wind blows slowly and heavily.)
Patiemment (pronounced: pah-syah-mahn)
- Meaning: “Slowly,” implying a patient, unhurried way.
- In a Sentence:
- Elle attend patiemment. (She waits slowly/patiently.)
- Il parle patiemment. (He speaks slowly, with patience.)
Avec calme (pronounced: ah-vek kahm)
- Meaning: “Slowly” with calmness.
- In a Sentence:
- Il conduit avec calme. (He drives slowly and calmly.)
- Elle parle avec calme. (She speaks slowly and calmly.)
Faiblement (pronounced: feh-bleh-mahn)
- Meaning: “Weakly” or “slowly,” often used to describe something done with little force or effort.
- In a Sentence:
- La voix du professeur est faiblement audible. (The professor’s voice is faintly audible.)
- Il marche faiblement. (He walks slowly and weakly.)
Modérément lent (pronounced: moh-deh-ray-mahn lahnt)
- Meaning: “Moderately slow,” suggesting a pace that is slow but not extreme.
- In a Sentence:
- Le trafic est modérément lent aujourd’hui. (The traffic is moderately slow today.)
- Elle est modérément lente en cuisine. (She is moderately slow in cooking.)
Tout doucement (pronounced: too doo-seh-mahn)
- Meaning: “Very slowly,” with an emphasis on softness or care.
- In a Sentence:
- Il avance tout doucement. (He moves very slowly.)
- Elle parle tout doucement. (She speaks very slowly.)
Lentement mais sûrement (pronounced: lahnt-mahn meh syoo-reh-mahn)
- Meaning: “Slowly but surely,” used to express progress at a slow pace but with certainty.
- In a Sentence:
- Il apprend lentement mais sûrement. (He learns slowly but surely.)
- Nous avançons lentement mais sûrement. (We move slowly but surely.)
Sommeyement (pronounced: soh-may-mahn)
- Meaning: “Sleepily” or “drowsily,” used to describe slow actions done with little energy.
- In a Sentence:
- Il parle sommeyement. (He speaks sleepily and slowly.)
- Elle se déplace sommeyement. (She moves slowly and sleepily.)
Lenteur (pronounced: lahnt-uhr)
- Meaning: “Slowness,” referring to the quality of being slow.
- In a Sentence:
- La lenteur du service est frustrante. (The slowness of the service is frustrating.)
- Elle remarque la lenteur de l’ordinateur. (She notices the slowness of the computer.)
D’un pas lent (pronounced: duh pah lahnt)
- Meaning: “With a slow step,” referring to walking slowly.
- In a Sentence:
- Il marche d’un pas lent. (He walks with a slow step.)
- Elle avance d’un pas lent et réfléchi. (She moves with a slow and thoughtful step.)
Peu rapide (pronounced: puh rah-peed)
- Meaning: “Not fast,” implying slowness.
- In a Sentence:
- Ce train est peu rapide. (This train is not fast.)
- Elle parle peu rapidement. (She speaks not very quickly.)
D’un rythme lent (pronounced: duh reet-mah lahnt)
- Meaning: “At a slow pace,” often used in relation to actions or music.
- In a Sentence:
- Il marche d’un rythme lent. (He walks at a slow pace.)
- Le morceau de musique a un rythme lent. (The piece of music has a slow pace.)
Au ralenti (pronounced: oh rah-lahn-tee)
- Meaning: “At a slow speed,” typically used when something is slowing down.
- In a Sentence:
- La vidéo est au ralenti. (The video is in slow motion.)
- La voiture roule au ralenti. (The car is moving at a slow speed.)
À petite allure (pronounced: ah puh-teet ah-loor)
- Meaning: “At a slow speed” or “at a slow pace.”
- In a Sentence:
- Nous marchons à petite allure. (We are walking at a slow pace.)
- Il roule à petite allure. (He is driving at a slow speed.)
Lentement comme un escargot (pronounced: lahnt-mahn kohm uh es-kahr-go)
- Meaning: “Slowly like a snail,” used to describe something extremely slow.
- In a Sentence:
- Il avance lentement comme un escargot. (He moves slowly like a snail.)
- Le bus se déplace lentement comme un escargot. (The bus moves slowly like a snail.)
À pas de tortue (pronounced: ah pah duh tor-too)
- Meaning: “At the pace of a turtle,” describing something very slow.
- In a Sentence:
- Elle va à pas de tortue. (She is going at a turtle’s pace.)
- Il travaille à pas de tortue. (He works at a turtle’s pace.)
À une allure modérée (pronounced: ah oon ah-loor moh-deh-ray)
- Meaning: “At a moderate speed,” implying a slower, steady pace.
- In a Sentence:
- Ils marchent à une allure modérée. (They are walking at a moderate speed.)
- Elle conduit à une allure modérée. (She drives at a moderate speed.)
Other Ways to Say “Slow” and “Slowly” in French
Here’s a table with other ways to say “slow” and “slowly” in French. These expressions give you more options to describe slowness depending on the context.
| Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
| Lentement mais sûrement | lahnt-mahn meh syoo-reh-mahn | Slowly but surely, with steady progress | Il avance lentement mais sûrement. (He moves slowly but surely.) |
| D’un pas lent | duh pah lahnt | With a slow step | Elle marche d’un pas lent. (She walks with a slow step.) |
| À une vitesse réduite | ah oon vee-tehs ray-dwee-teh | At a reduced speed | Le train roule à une vitesse réduite. (The train is running at a reduced speed.) |
| Tranquillement | trahn-kee-mahn | Slowly in a calm, peaceful way | Elle marche tranquillement dans le parc. (She walks slowly and peacefully in the park.) |
| Peu à peu | puh ah puh | Little by little, gradually | Peu à peu, il apprend à lire. (Little by little, he is learning to read.) |
| À pas de tortue | ah pah duh tor-too | At a turtle’s pace | Elle va à pas de tortue. (She is going at a turtle’s pace.) |
| Lentement comme un escargot | lahnt-mahn kohm uh es-kahr-go | Slowly like a snail | Il avance lentement comme un escargot. (He is moving slowly like a snail.) |
| Avec lenteur | ah-vek lahnt-uhr | With slowness, slowly | Il parle avec lenteur. (He speaks slowly.) |
| À petite allure | ah puh-teet ah-loor | At a slow pace, at a small speed | Elle marche à petite allure. (She is walking at a slow pace.) |
| Ralentir | rah-lahn-teer | To slow down | Ralentis un peu. (Slow down a bit.) |
| Faiblement | feh-bleh-mahn | Weakly, slowly, with little force | Il marche faiblement. (He walks slowly and weakly.) |
| À petite vitesse | ah puh-teet vee-tehs | At a small speed | Le vélo va à petite vitesse. (The bike is going at a small speed.) |
| Sommeyement | soh-may-mahn | Sleepily, slowly | Il bouge sommeyement. (He moves slowly and sleepily.) |
| D’un rythme lent | duh reet-mah lahnt | At a slow pace, slowly in rhythm | Elle travaille d’un rythme lent. (She works slowly at a slow pace.) |
| Modérément lent | moh-deh-ray-mahn lahnt | Moderately slow, a slower pace | Il parle modérément lent. (He speaks moderately slowly.) |
| Doucement | doo-seh-mahn | Gently, slowly | Ferme doucement la porte. (Close the door slowly and gently.) |
| Lentement et prudemment | lahnt-mahn eh proo-deh-mahn | Slowly and carefully | Il traverse lentement et prudemment la rue. (He crosses the street slowly and carefully.) |
| À un rythme modéré | ah uhn reet-mah moh-deh-ray | At a moderate pace | Ils marchent à un rythme modéré. (They walk at a moderate pace.) |
| Modéré | moh-deh-ray | Moderately slow, steady | Elle conduit à une allure modérée. (She drives at a moderate pace.) |
| Pesamment | peh-zah-mahn | Heavily, slowly with effort | Il marche pesamment. (He walks heavily and slowly.) |
Response to “Slow” and “Slowly” in French
When someone says “slow” or “slowly” in French, there are different ways you can respond, depending on the situation. Here are some common responses that could be used in everyday conversations.
C’est bon, je vais plus vite.
- Pronunciation: seh bohn, juh veh ploo veet
- Meaning: “It’s okay, I will go faster.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Tu es trop lent!” (You’re too slow!)
- Person 2: “C’est bon, je vais plus vite.” (It’s okay, I’ll go faster.)
Je suis désolé, je ne peux pas aller plus vite.
- Pronunciation: juh swee day-zoh-lay, juh nuh puh pah ah-lay ploo veet
- Meaning: “I’m sorry, I can’t go any faster.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Tu vas trop lentement!” (You’re going too slowly!)
- Person 2: “Je suis désolé, je ne peux pas aller plus vite.” (I’m sorry, I can’t go any faster.)
Prends ton temps.
- Pronunciation: prahnd ton tahm
- Meaning: “Take your time.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Je suis désolé d’être si lent.” (I’m sorry for being so slow.)
- Person 2: “Prends ton temps.” (Take your time.)
Pourquoi veux-tu que j’aille plus vite ?
- Pronunciation: poor-kwa veh-too kuh jahy ploo veet
- Meaning: “Why do you want me to go faster?”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Vas plus vite!” (Go faster!)
- Person 2: “Pourquoi veux-tu que j’aille plus vite ?” (Why do you want me to go faster?)
Je vais aussi vite que je peux.
- Pronunciation: juh veh oh-see veet kuh juh puh
- Meaning: “I’m going as fast as I can.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Tu es trop lent!” (You’re too slow!)
- Person 2: “Je vais aussi vite que je peux.” (I’m going as fast as I can.)
Lentement mais sûrement.
- Pronunciation: lahnt-mahn meh syoo-reh-mahn
- Meaning: “Slowly but surely.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Pourquoi prends-tu si longtemps ?” (Why are you taking so long?)
- Person 2: “Lentement mais sûrement.” (Slowly but surely.)
Je comprends, je vais essayer d’aller plus vite.
- Pronunciation: juh kohm-prahnd, juh veh eh-say-yay dah-lay ploo veet
- Meaning: “I understand, I will try to go faster.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Dépêche-toi!” (Hurry up!)
- Person 2: “Je comprends, je vais essayer d’aller plus vite.” (I understand, I will try to go faster.)
Ne t’inquiète pas, je vais doucement.
- Pronunciation: nuh tahn-kee-eh pah, juh veh doo-seh-mahn
- Meaning: “Don’t worry, I will go slowly.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Ralentis!” (Slow down!)
- Person 2: “Ne t’inquiète pas, je vais doucement.” (Don’t worry, I will go slowly.)*
C’est juste que je suis fatigué.
- Pronunciation: seh zhoost kuh juh swee fah-tee-gay
- Meaning: “It’s just that I’m tired.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Pourquoi es-tu si lent ?” (Why are you so slow?)
- Person 2: “C’est juste que je suis fatigué.” (It’s just that I’m tired.)
D’accord, mais je préfère prendre mon temps.
- Pronunciation: dah-kohr, meh juh prah-fehr prahnd ruh mon tahm
- Meaning: “Okay, but I prefer to take my time.”
- In a Sentence:
- Person 1: “Dépêche-toi!” (Hurry up!)
- Person 2: “D’accord, mais je préfère prendre mon temps.” (Okay, but I prefer to take my time.)
Exercise to Practice Saying “Slow” and “Slowly” in French
Here’s an exercise to help you practice using the words for “slow” and “slowly” in French. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words you’ve learned.
Fill in the blanks:
- Il marche _____________ dans le parc.
(He walks slowly in the park.) - Elle parle ____________ à son frère.
(She speaks slowly to her brother.) - Le train est ____________ aujourd’hui.
(The train is slow today.) - Tu conduis ____________ sur cette route.
(You drive slowly on this road.) - Je vais ____________ pour ne pas me blesser.
(I’m going slowly to avoid injuring myself.) - Le film avance _____________, mais c’est intéressant.
(The movie is progressing slowly, but it’s interesting.) - Le service est ____________ au restaurant.
(The service is slow at the restaurant.) - Nous avons fait les devoirs ____________ pour bien comprendre.
(We did the homework slowly to understand it well.) - Le soleil se couche ____________ chaque soir.
(The sun sets slowly every evening.) - Elle a appris ____________ mais avec précision.
(She learned slowly but with precision.) - Ils sont arrivés ____________ après une longue journée.
(They arrived slowly after a long day.) - Le temps passe ____________ quand on attend quelque chose.
(Time passes slowly when you’re waiting for something.)
Answers:
- lentement
- lentement
- lent
- lentement
- lentement
- lentement
- lent
- lentement
- lentement
- lentement
- lentement
- lentement
Conclusion
Learning how to say “slow” and “slowly” in French is an important step in expanding your vocabulary and becoming more comfortable in conversations. Whether you’re talking about the speed of a car, walking slowly in the park, or describing something that takes time, knowing these words helps you communicate more clearly.
In this article, we covered the different ways to say “slow” and “slowly” in French, provided examples of how to use them, and gave you exercises to practice. Remember, the more you practice, the easier it will become to use these expressions in real life.
Keep working on expanding your vocabulary, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. With practice, you’ll get better and better at speaking French, one word at a time!