Questions & Answers about Ты читаешь очень медленно.
Since we are learning second conjugation verbs, why does читаешь end in -ешь instead of -ишь?
Читаешь comes from the verb читать (to read). Because its dictionary form ends in -ать, it belongs to the first conjugation group, which uses -е- in its endings. The second conjugation verbs you are learning right now mostly end in -ить and use -и- in their endings, like ты говоришь (you speak).
How does the soft sign (ь) change the pronunciation of очень?
The soft sign has no sound of its own, but it softens the consonant right before it. In очень, it makes the н soft, meaning you pronounce it with your tongue pressed flat against the roof of your mouth, almost like you are about to say the letter y in English.
Why does медленно end in an -о?
Is it okay to change the word order and say Ты очень медленно читаешь?
Yes, Russian word order is very flexible! Moving очень медленно to the end of the sentence like in our example just puts a bit more focus or emphasis on the fact that the reading is slow. Both versions are completely correct and sound natural.