How does one ask a Spanish speaker to slow down?

Question

I have pictured this scenario many times. My family and I are in Mexico or some other Spanish speaking country, and a policeman comes up and asks me something. His tone tells me that something is wrong, but he is speaking too fast for me to translate.

How would I ask him to speak slower and perhaps more simply? Keep in mind that I would probably be quite flustered and a bit scared, and I'd probably only remember how to say something simple.

Muchas gracias

Answer 1

'Más despacio por favor' would work as a phrase.

For a full sentence you could say '¿Puede hablar más despacio por favor?

Answer 2

Hello John,

Welcome to the SpanishDict forum.

You said/asked:

I have pictured this scenario many times. My family and I are in Mexico or some other Spanish speaking country, and a policeman comes up and asks me something. His tone tells me that something is wrong, but he is speaking too fast for me to translate. How would I ask him to speak slower and perhaps more simply? Keep in mind that I would probably be quite flustered and a bit scared, and I'd probably only remember how to say something simple. Muchas gracias

Well John

You can say any of these, either on their own on in combination: (I have graded them both in terms of their increasing complexity and usefulness )

1.No entiendo. = I don't understand

2 Más despacio, por favor = More slowly, please

3 Aprendo español = I am learning Spanish

4 No hablo (o entiendo) español bien.= I don't speak (or understand) Spanish well.

5 ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? = Can you speak more slowly, please?

I am sure you will be fine, but if your nerves were to fail you at the last minute just show the ploice officer the desired sentence/s written down as we have shown you!

Speaking to a child/teenager/younger person you can either say: ¿Puedes hablar rmás despacio, por favor? o Habla despacio, por favor (imperative/command form)

I hope this helps,

Using 'por favor' with puedes, if I understand the weight carried by 'por favor', would sound weird. Judging from what I've read, por favor has the same weight in Spanish as "if you would be ever so kind". - Helado_eclectico, Sep 11, 2014

And the command form is usually discouraged for requests (or at least so I've read) even with a por favor tacked on. It's the type of thing the policeman would be telling you, not vice versa. - Helado_eclectico, Sep 11, 2014

Helado, your can never use gracias and por favor too much. It is just saying please, nothing more. - gringojrf, Sep 11, 2014

Gran aporte. - GexThunderstrom, Sep 16, 2014

Answer 3

You would never go wrong with the classic "¡Más despacio!" [Slower!], though with policemen and polite company, you should probably make this sound like a request and go "¿Puede hablar más despacio?" [Could you speak more slowly?] with an optional "(Es que) No hablo/entiendo español muy bien." [I don't speak/understand Spanish very well.].

'Speak simply' would probably just replace 'más despacio' with 'sencillamente'. You could also say "¿Puede decirlo/formularlo con otras palabras?" [Could you say it in other words?] and get them to rephrase the sentence. You could also get them to repeat with "¿Puede repetir?" [Could you repeat?], with optional 'por favor' [Puh-lease] (I think the por favor can be used with every single one of these phrases, though).

Since I am a non-native, consider this to be just a helpful prod to get you thinking till one of the über speakers pop up.

EDIT: Also, in extreme circumstances, you might have to fall back on "Lo siento, (pero) no (se) entiendo." [Sorry, (but) I don't understand (you)] and "Necesito un intérprete." [Need an interpreter]