Introduction
Knowing how to ask someone to speak more slowly is one of the most useful phrases for Spanish beginners. This article teaches simple, polite ways to say please explain slowly in Latin American Spanish, plus vocabulary, sample sentences, pronunciation tips, and common mistakes to avoid.
- Core phrase: how to ask someone to explain slowly
- Other natural beginner alternatives
- Useful vocabulary related to explaining and speaking
- Short realistic dialogues for beginners
- Pronunciation tips for beginners
- Grammar notes useful for beginners
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Practice exercises for beginners
- Situational tips
- Quick reference cheat sheet
- Conclusion
Core phrase: how to ask someone to explain slowly
The most direct, polite way to ask someone to explain slowly uses the verb explicar. Use this when you want clarification or a slower explanation in conversations, classes, or customer service.
Por favor, explique despacio
Translation and breakdown:
por favor = please
explique = explain (formal command or polite request)
despacio = slowly
When to use this phrase
Use Por favor, explique despacio with someone you do not know, an older person, a teacher, or in formal situations. It sounds polite and clear.
If you are in a class, with a teacher, or speaking to a customer service agent, this phrasing is appropriate and commonly understood across Latin America.
Other natural beginner alternatives
Depending on the situation or how comfortable you are, there are several other ways to ask for a slower explanation. The first time each Spanish term appears, it is bold; later it is italic.
Por favor, hable más despacio
Use this to ask someone to speak more slowly. It focuses on speaking rather than explaining.
¿Puede repetir más despacio, por favor?
Use this when you want someone to repeat what they said more slowly. It is polite and common.
¿Puede explicarlo más despacio?
This is another polite request meaning please explain it more slowly. The direct object can be changed to what you need explained.
Casual, informal options
When speaking with friends or peers, you can use a more relaxed tone.
Habla más despacio, por favor
Use Habla for informal singular you. Suitable with classmates, friends, or people your age.
Repite más despacio, porfa
Shortened por favor to porfa is common in informal speech and messages among young people.
Useful vocabulary related to explaining and speaking
Explicar — to explain
Hablar — to speak
Repetir — to repeat
Despacito / despacio — slowly (note: despacio is standard; despacito is a diminutive often heard in speech)
Más — more
Por favor — please
¿Puede? — can you? (polite)
¿Puedes? — can you? (informal)
Short realistic dialogues for beginners
Here are simple, everyday examples where you would ask for a slower explanation.
At a language class:
Estudiante: Por favor, explique despacio.
Profesor: Claro, repito la frase lentamente.
In a store:
Cliente: ¿Puede repetir más despacio, por favor?
Empleado: Sí, con gusto. ¿Qué producto le interesa?
On the phone with customer service:
Llamante: ¿Puede explicarlo más despacio? No entendí la última parte.
Agente: Por supuesto, le explico paso a paso.
Pronunciation tips for beginners
Focus on clear vowels and gentle consonants. Latin American pronunciation tends to be straightforward for beginners.
Despacito / despacio: pronounce deh-spa-see-oh, with a soft d and clear a and o vowels.
Explique: pronounce ex-plee-keh, stress the second syllable slightly and keep the k sound crisp.
Por favor: pronounce por fah-vor with a clear r in por and the stress on favor.
Stress and polite tone
Politeness in Spanish often comes from tone and structure. Using por favor and the conditional or polite form ¿Puede… makes your request respectful. Lower your pitch slightly and speak evenly to sound polite and confident.
Grammar notes useful for beginners
Explaining the forms helps you adapt phrases to different situations.
Command forms: Explique is a formal command (usted form). Use this with people you address formally. The informal command would be explica.
Polite questions: ¿Puede …? uses the third person singular for polite requests. For informal requests, use ¿Puedes …?
Direct object: Add it when you need someone to explain a specific thing. Example: ¿Puede explicar esto más despacio?
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Mixing formal and informal forms. Example mistake: Using puedes with a stranger and not saying por favor. Choose either formal or informal consistently.
Wrong word order. Example mistake: Saying Explique por favor despacio. Better: Por favor, explique despacio or Explique despacio, por favor.
Overusing literal translations from English like please slow explain. Instead, use natural Spanish word order and verbs, such as Por favor, explique despacio or ¿Puede repetir más despacio?
Practice exercises for beginners
Try these short drills to make the phrases automatic.
1) Repeat aloud three times: Por favor, explique despacio and ¿Puede repetir más despacio, por favor?
2) Role-play: One person pretends to be a cashier speaking fast. The learner asks ¿Puede repetir más despacio, por favor?
3) Listening practice: Find a short Spanish audio clip and pause after each sentence. Say Repita más despacio, por favor when you need repetition.
Text message and written examples
Sometimes you will ask this in writing—on chat or email. Use the same phrases but you can be slightly shorter in texts.
Por favor, ¿puedes hablar más despacio?
Por favor, explique esto más despacio
Situational tips
In a restaurant: If the server speaks quickly and lists menu items, say ¿Puede repetir más despacio, por favor? or ¿Qué significa …? to ask for a definition.
In a classroom: If a teacher moves fast, say Por favor, explique despacio or ask for examples: ¿Puede dar otro ejemplo más despacio?
On public transport or at stations: For announcements you miss, approach staff and say Perdón, ¿puede repetir la información más despacio?
Quick reference cheat sheet
Por favor, explique despacio — Please explain slowly (formal)
Por favor, hable más despacio — Please speak more slowly (formal)
¿Puede repetir más despacio, por favor? — Can you repeat more slowly, please? (formal)
Habla más despacio, por favor — Speak more slowly, please (informal)
Conclusion
Mastering a few polite, simple phrases to ask someone to explain or speak slowly will boost your confidence and improve comprehension in real situations. Practice the core phrases, learn the vocabulary, and use role-play and listening drills to make these requests natural in Latin American Spanish contexts.
