When you are learning Spanish speaking is usually the last thing you get chance to practice, unless you’re living in a Spanish-speaking country that it. So, how do you prepare for when you get a reply to the conversation starters and questions you’ve been practicing for so long?
I’m all about learning how to control your learning environment, how much you can say and at what speed without getting flustered and feeling embarrassed. A great phrase to use for this is “can you speak slower please”?
Now there are two ways of saying this; one is very simple yet very effective – especially if you use your hands and say it with confidence – “más despacio por favor” which literraly means slower please.
The other is slightly more complex as it does include the use of verbs and knowing the difference between the formal and informal you “usted” formal and “tú“, informal.
The verb Poder in Spanish means to be able or can and the verb Hablar means to talk.
If you’re addressing someone you know you say (or ask) “¿puedes hablar más despacio por favor(?)” when it’s someone you are addressing formally (someone you meet for the first time for example) you say ¿puede hablar más despacio por favor(?) – notice the difference between the two words;
Puede – you can (formal)
Puedes – you can (informal)
So, there you have it two ways to ask someone to speak slower in Spanish. For practice and to help with pronunciation I’ve recorded a short lesson, you can view it on YouTube below.
I’d love to hear which version you use and how you get on, let me know in the comments.