langsam

slow

adjective adverb LAHNG-zahm Less Common

Also means

slowly

Usage Note

langsam works as both adjective and adverb and is the natural opposite of schnell. Colloquially langsam also means 'gradually' or 'about time', as in langsam wird es kalt ('it's gradually getting cold'). The literal parts are lang ('long') plus the adjective suffix -sam.

Examples

"Der Zug fährt heute sehr langsam."

Natural Translation

The train is going very slowly today.

Literal Translation

The train goes today very slowly.

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