Kérem, mondja lassabban!

Here kérem means please.

Literally, kérem comes from the verb kér = to ask / to request, so it originally means something like I ask or I request. In everyday Hungarian, though, it is very commonly used simply as a polite please.

So in this sentence:

• Kérem = please
• mondja lassabban = say it / speak more slowly

You will also hear kérem used by itself in other situations, for example when asking someone to repeat something.

It is formal / polite.

The form mondja shows that the speaker is addressing someone politely, like Ön in Hungarian. This is the kind of sentence you would use with:

• a stranger
• an older person
• a clerk, receptionist, waiter, doctor, etc.
• anyone you want to address politely

If you were talking to a friend, child, classmate, or someone you use te with, you would normally say:

• Kérlek, mondd lassabban!

So the difference is roughly:

• Kérem, mondja lassabban! = formal
• Kérlek, mondd lassabban! = informal

Mondja is the polite command form here.

Hungarian often uses third-person-style forms when speaking politely to someone with Ön. So instead of using a direct informal command, Hungarian uses a form that corresponds to polite address.

That is why you get:

• mondja in a polite request

A useful way to think of it is:

• informal: Mondd!
• formal: Mondja!

Also, with mondja, there is an understood object behind it, something like say it or say what you are saying. Hungarian often leaves that object unspoken if it is obvious from context.

It is not stated, because Hungarian often leaves pronouns out when they are clear from the verb form.

In English, you usually need you:

• Please, speak more slowly!

In Hungarian, the verb ending already tells you a lot about the subject and the level of formality. So mondja already signals that this is a polite request to you.

If you wanted, you could say Ön, but it is usually unnecessary:

• Kérem, Ön mondja lassabban!

That sounds more marked and is not the most natural everyday version unless you want emphasis.

Lassabban means more slowly.

It is built from:

• lassú = slow
• lassan = slowly
• lassabban = more slowly

So this is the comparative adverb form.

A simple way to understand it:

• lassan = slowly
• lassabban = more slowly / slower

This is why Hungarian does not need a separate word for more here. The comparative idea is built into the word itself.

Compare:

• gyorsan = quickly
• gyorsabban = more quickly / faster

Because Hungarian usually builds the comparative directly into the word.

In English, you say:

• slowly
• more slowly

In Hungarian, the word itself changes:

• lassan
• lassabban

So -bb- is the main comparative element here. English often uses a separate word like more, but Hungarian often adds a comparative ending instead.

That is very common in Hungarian:

• nagy = big
• nagyobb = bigger

and similarly with adverbs:

• lassan = slowly
• lassabban = more slowly

Because kérem is functioning as a separate polite expression, like please at the beginning of an English sentence.

So the structure is basically:

• Kérem, = Please,
• mondja lassabban! = say it more slowly!

The comma helps show that kérem is not part of the main verb phrase in the same way as mondja. It is more like a polite introductory word.

You may also see similar word order with kérem later in the sentence, for example:

• Mondja lassabban, kérem!

That also means the same thing and sounds very natural.

Yes. That is also completely natural.

These two are both good:

• Kérem, mondja lassabban!
• Mondja lassabban, kérem!

The difference is mostly about style and emphasis:

• Kérem, ... sounds like you begin with politeness
• ..., kérem adds the politeness at the end

Both are common. In speech, the second version can sound especially natural in real-life interactions.

Yes, and that is often even more natural depending on what you mean.

Compare:

• Mondja lassabban! = Say it more slowly
• Beszéljen lassabban! = Speak more slowly

If someone is talking too fast in general, Beszéljen lassabban! may be the more direct match for English Please speak more slowly.

If the person has just said something and you want that actual message repeated more slowly, Mondja lassabban! works well too.

So both are useful, but:

• mondja focuses more on what is being said
• beszéljen focuses more on the way the person is speaking

A natural informal version is:

• Kérlek, mondd lassabban!

Parts:

• kérlek = please
• mondd = say (informal command)
• lassabban = more slowly

So the contrast is:

• formal: Kérem, mondja lassabban!
• informal: Kérlek, mondd lassabban!

Notice that both the please word and the command form change.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Kérem ≈ KAY-rem
• mondja ≈ MON-dya
• lassabban ≈ LOSH-shob-bon or LAS-shob-bon, depending on how narrowly you want to imitate Hungarian sounds

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• Hungarian stress is usually on the first syllable of each word:
  • KÉ-rem
  • MON-dja
  • LAS-sab-ban
• é is a long vowel, somewhat like ay in say, but cleaner and steadier
• gy in mondja sounds somewhat like the dy in would you, but smoother
• ss in Hungarian is not like English ss; in spelling, plain s sounds like English sh
  • so lassabban begins with a sh-like sound in standard pronunciation

If you want to sound natural, the most important things are:

1. stress the first syllable of each word
2. keep the vowels clear
3. make s sound like English sh

Yes, mondja can mean other things in other contexts.

For example, depending on context, mondja can also be a non-command form meaning something like:

• he/she says it
• he/she is saying it

But in Kérem, mondja lassabban!, the context clearly shows that it is a polite command/request:

• Please, say it more slowly!

This is very common in Hungarian: the same written form can have different grammatical roles, and context tells you which one is meant.

Yes, it is natural and polite.

A Hungarian speaker would understand it immediately, and it is perfectly suitable in real situations such as:

• asking someone to slow down in conversation
• asking for clearer speech
• speaking politely to someone you do not know well

That said, in many situations you may also hear:

• Beszéljen lassabban, kérem!
• Megismételné lassabban? = Could you repeat it more slowly?
• Lassabban, kérem. = More slowly, please.

So your sentence is good, natural, and useful, but Hungarian has several polite ways to express the same idea.