# devagar & lento/lentamente



## albondiga

Is there a difference between _devagar _(as adjective) and _lento_? 

What about between _devagar _(as adverb) and _lentamente_?  

Are they completely interchangeable, or are there any situations where only one would be used?  If they are completely interchangeable, which is more frequently used?


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## Vanda

Hi Albondiga,

Good question. I have to think about it. I can't say precisely right now in which situations I'd prefer devagar to lentamente. 

Devagar is an adverb and lento is an adjective so the usage in this case has to do with the meaning the person wants in his speech.


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## Denis555

I would use "devagar" *more*, certainly.
"Devagar" can be used always, anywhere, i.e. either as an adjective or as an adverb but interestingly enough, "lento" too!

ADJ.
Lento(a) - Devagar
Ex.: Ele é muito devagar! Ele teve uma morte lenta e dolorosa.

ADV.
Lento(_colloquially_), lentamente - Devagar 
Ex. Esse apresentador do "Jornal Nacional" fala muito lento. Ele lê muito lentamente. Ele corre devagar demais nunca ganhará os 100 metros rasos!


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## Vanda

_Ele é muito devagar._

And I had totally forgotten this usage.


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## ana lacerda

Vanda said:


> _Ele é muito devagar._
> 
> And I had totally forgotten this usage.


 
Penso que soa melhor dizer: Ele é muito lento.
                                      Ele é muito vagaroso./ Ele anda/faz/pensa...muito devagar.


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## Vanda

Yes Ana, but here you use that in colloquial speech a lot and normally.


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## ana lacerda

Vanda said:


> Yes Ana, but here you use that in colloquial speech a lot and normally.


 
Sorry. In that context you are right!


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## Vin Raven

albondiga said:


> Is there a difference between _devagar _(as adjective) and _lente_?



Are you sure you don't have a typo there and mean _lento/lenta_ instead of _lente_? 

_Lente _means lens, like on glasses or microscopes, or lecturer/reader.


If you say "Ele é o lente", it means "He is the lecturer".

If you say "Ela partiu a lente do telescópio", it means "She broke the telescope's lens".

I can't think of any other real usage for "lente" other than contact lens, "lente de contacto".

Now, if you say  "Ele é lento", it means "He is slow" with all the insinuation of retardation as we'd have in English.


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## albondiga

Vin Raven said:


> Are you sure you don't have a typo there and mean _lento/lenta_ instead of _lente_?



Yes, I have fixed the typo... obviously there's a difference between _devagar _and _lente_!


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## jazyk

Tudo isso me faz lembrar de _festina lente_ - "apressa-te lentamente" em latim.

Quanto a devagar, uma dúvida que sempre tive e nunca tive a coragem de perguntar é a seguinte: se devagar pode ser usado como adjetivo, então significa que seu plural é devagares: _Essa pessoa é muito devagar - Essas pessoas são muito devagares._  Acho que na prática isso não acontece. Preciso também que meu dicionário só registra devagar como advérbio, o que significa que, segundo ele, não seria possível nem a primeira nem a segunda oração acima. Acho que isso resolve bem a questão.


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## albondiga

jazyk said:


> Preciso também que meu dicionário só registra devagar como advérbio, o que significa que, segundo ele, não seria possível nem a primeira nem a segunda oração acima. Acho que isso resolve bem a questão.



Então os dicionários não concordam, porque o meu dicionário inglés-portugués da "devagar" como traducão de "slowly" (adv.) e também "slow" (adj.)...


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## albondiga

Otra pergunta no mesmo assunto: que tal "depressa" e "rapido"/"rapidamente"?


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## Vin Raven

albondiga said:


> Então os dicionários não concordam, porque o meu dicionário inglés-portugués da "devagar" como traducão de "slowly" (adv.) e também "slow" (adj.)...



Devagar is an adverb.

It's pretty common for translating dictionaries to be wrong.
Not even getting into how some text books are written by semi-literate professors who are trying to make a quick buck by having their students pay for the shlock they've published as "Portuguese" text books.

In any issue of confusion like that, look in an actual dictionary instead of in a translating dictionary.

I use priberam.pt/dlpo/definir_resultados.aspx since it's free.


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## Vin Raven

albondiga said:


> Otra pergunta no mesmo assunto: que tal "depressa" e "rapido"/"rapidamente"?



Depressa is an adverb.


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## albondiga

OK, so the impression I'm getting is:

slow = _lento_
slowly = _devagar _or _lentamente _are virtually interchageable, and in colloquial use _lento _is sometimes used as well (I might avoid this for now )

quick/fast = _rapido_
quickly = _depressa _or _rapidamente _are virtually interchageable, and perhaps in colloquial use _rapido _may be sometimes used as well...

Does this sound accurate?


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## Vanda

Jazyk, devagar is always an adverb. The thing here is that the usage in sentences like "ele é muito devagar" is simply one of our famous colloquial usage of it.

Albondiga: _Does this sound accurate?_
yes, you got it right (according to your last post).


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## olivinha

Hi, Albondiga.
Another way of saying "slow", which is closely related to _devagar_ is _vagaroso_/_vagarosa_.


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## Vin Raven

olivinha said:


> Another way of saying "slow", which is closely related to _devagar_ is _vagaroso_/_vagarosa_.



Which is why in normal usage you'd get: _ele é muito vagaroso_ and not really ever something like _ele é muito devagar_. 
The latter of which, personally, I've never heard and sounds a bit like something a 4 year old would say, to my ears.


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## Vanda

> The latter of which, personally, I've never heard and sounds a bit like something a 4 year old would say, to my ears.


 
Or sounds something like any normal Brazilian!!! Graças a Deus!
​


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## olivinha

Yes, actually and colloquially, I'd say _ele é_ _uma pessoa muito devagar_ before saying _muito vagaroso_. Of course, my reference is Brazilian Portuguese. And, oh no, I am not 4!  
O


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## Vin Raven

Vanda said:


> Or sounds something like any normal Brazilian



Does it really?
Is it in actual common usage, or are you just voicing the general Brazilian acceptance of semi-literate euphemisms?


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## Vanda

For real.  It does not have to do with the literacy level of the speaker. It is just another of our _manias._ There are those who don't know it is not gramatically correct and there are those - and they are many - that just say it for the pleasure of using a colloquial expression.
What I haven't said yet is that actually we go further with the expression. We say: _ele é devagar quase parando_, which always bring a smile to my face.


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## Vin Raven

Vanda said:


> For real.  It does not have to do with the literacy level of the speaker. It is just another of our _manias._ There are those who don't know it is not gramatically correct and there are those - and they are many - that just say it for the pleasure of using a colloquial expression.
> What I haven't said yet is that actually we go further with the expression. We say: _ele é devagar quase parando_, which always bring a smile to my face.



Is it a general colloquialism or is it in use only in a specific region, or just as urban slang?


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## Vanda

I am not very sure, but I think it is general. Let's wait for other Brazilians..


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## jazyk

I also think it's general.


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## Lucia Adamoli

Vanda said:


> For real.  It does not have to do with the literacy level of the speaker. It is just another of our _manias._ There are those who don't know it is not gramatically correct and there are those - and they are many - that just say it for the pleasure of using a colloquial expression.
> What I haven't said yet is that actually we go further with the expression. We say: _ele é devagar quase parando_, which always bring a smile to my face.


Well Vanda, I have to say that you have brought a smile to my face, and lots of lost memories. Brigadão! (ou Brigadona?  )


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## olivinha

jazyk said:


> I also think it's general.


 
Me too.
O

("The general Brazilian acceptance of semi-literate euphemisms"; now, that's a way to put it.)


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## Denis555

A coisa aqui tá muito *devagar*, pessoal! Vamos agitar isso aqui!!!


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## Ricardo Tavares

Vanda said:


> I am not very sure, but I think it is general. Let's wait for other Brazilians..



It sounds ok to me. I use this expression very much (although I'd rather not use it so often)


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## Outsider

lento = slow (adjective)
lentamente = slowly (adverb)
depressa = quickly (adverb)
rápido = fast/quick (adjective)
rapidamente = fast/quickly (adverb)

*However*, each of the above adjectives may sometimes be employed as an adverb. There's a name for this, but I forget.


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## jazyk

Derivação imprópria?


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## kurumin

Lento ou Devagar for SLOW(LY)
Ligeiro ou Rápido for FAST 

speedy gonzales = Ligeirinho


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