Neurida Conjugation: 느리다 Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 느리다 (neurida)
• Meaning: slow
• Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
• Level: A1
• Stem: 느리
• Class: regular

What Does 느리다 Mean?

느리다 describes speed: 인터넷이 느리다 (the internet is slow), a slow walker, a slow song. The thing described takes 이/가. It is the opposite of 빠르다. It is about pace, not time: being late is 늦다, and mixing the two up is the most common mistake with this word. 느리다 is the everyday word for slow internet, slow computers, slow walkers and slow speech.

How Do You Pronounce 느리다?

The dictionary form is said as spelled. The polite present 느려요 is read as written, and the polite past 느렸어요 is said [느려써요]. The formal present 느립니다 is said [느림니다], and the past modifier 느렸던 is said [느렫떤].

How Do You Use 느리다 in a Sentence?

인터넷이 is the subject and 너무 (too) adds an excess. The polite present 느려요 is a complaint about speed.

The reason ending 느려서 explains the result: 걸음이 느려서 늘 늦어요 contains both 느리다 for pace and 늦다 for lateness.

느린 is the modifier before 노래를, so the clause says what kind of songs the speaker likes.

How Does Neurida Conjugation Work?

Is 느리다 Regular or Irregular?

느리다 is regular. The stem 느리 ends in ㅣ, which merges with 어 into ㅕ: 느리 + 어요 becomes 느려요. That is only a contraction. Consonant-initial endings attach directly, and 으-endings are not needed after a vowel stem, as in 느린 and 느리면. The lesson on how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense explains the full pattern.

Common Mistake with 느리다

Wrong: ✗ 늦어요 (for a slow computer)

Correct: ✓ 느려요

Why: A slow computer is described with 느리다. Learners reach for 늦다 because the English 'late' and 'slow' blur together. Use 늦어요 only when the issue is time, such as arriving late.

느리다 Versus 늦다 and 천천히

A Dialogue about Slow Wi-Fi

A customer at a guesthouse needs to upload travel photos. The problem is the speed of the connection, so 느리다 fits even before anyone has missed a deadline.

Customer

Staff member

Customer

Staff member

느려요 describes the current problem, 느렸어요 asks about yesterday, and 느려서 gives the reason the upload failed. The staff member responds to a complaint about the connection rather than treating it as a complaint about arriving late.

Common Pairings with 느리다

• 속도가 느리다 — the speed is slow. 속도 names speed itself. It can refer to a vehicle, a download or the pace of work; the surrounding sentence tells you which.
• 말이 느리다 — someone's speech is slow. This describes speaking pace. It does not mean that the person started speaking after the expected time.
• 걸음이 느리다 — someone's walking pace is slow. 걸음 focuses on the walk. Someone can walk slowly and still arrive on time by leaving early.
• 반응이 느리다 — the response is slow. This can describe a person's reaction or a device taking time to respond. It identifies the response rather than judging every aspect of the person or machine.

These are ordinary descriptions rather than idioms with hidden meanings. The useful pattern is a specific noun plus 이/가 느리다. Naming the speed, speech or reaction makes a complaint more precise than saying only that something is slow.

Where Will You See or Hear 느리다?

느리다 appears in comments about internet service, phone performance, queues and people's pace. A product review may criticize a slow response even when the device works correctly. A music conversation may use 느린 for a song with a slow tempo, without suggesting that the song is bad.

Describing a person directly as slow can sound critical. If you mean walking pace, 걸음 gives that narrower meaning. If you need someone to speak more slowly, 천천히 말해 주세요 is a useful polite request. It asks for an action at a slower pace; it does not label the listener as a slow person.

How Do 느린, 느려요 and 천천히 Differ?

느려요 finishes a polite statement: something is slow. 느린 comes before a noun, as in the existing example 느린 노래, a slow song. Because 느리다 is an adjective, its present noun modifier is 느린. The ㄴ attaches to the vowel-ending stem without adding 으.

천천히 means “slowly” and describes how an action happens. You can request slower speech with it, or describe doing an activity without rushing. 느리다, by comparison, gives a property of the thing being discussed. The choice depends on whether your sentence describes a speed or tells someone how to act.

The stem ends in 리, not 르. That detail matters when you learn 빠르다, the opposite word, which does follow the 르 pattern. 느리다 forms 느려요 through the normal ㅣ-plus-어 contraction; no extra ㄹ appears. The opposite meanings do not require matching conjugation classes.

느릴 거예요 predicts a slow pace rather than making a personal plan to be slow. For example, a speaker expecting a busy connection can predict poor speed before trying the upload.

Related Words for Speed and Timing

The computer and internet vocabulary lesson gives you nouns for explaining which part of a connection or computer is causing trouble.

Mini Drill: Choose the Slow Form

1. Change 느려요 to the polite past.
2. Put 느리다 before 노래: ____ 노래.
3. Give the reason form meaning “because it is slow.”
4. Give the short negative of 느려요.

Quick Self-Test

1. Can a person have a slow walking pace and still arrive on time?
2. Does 느린 노래 necessarily criticize a song?
3. Which word requests an action slowly: 천천히 or 늦다?

Frequently Asked Questions

My Computer Is Slow: Do I Say 느리다 or 늦다?

느리다, as in 인터넷이 느려요. 느리다 is slow in speed, while 늦다 is late in time.

Why Is the Polite Present 느려요?

The stem 느리 ends in ㅣ, and ㅣ + 어 contracts into ㅕ: 느리 + 어요 becomes 느려요.

What Is the Opposite of 느리다?

빠르다, fast.

Can I Describe a Person as 느리다?

Yes, for the way someone does things: 걸음이 느리다 means someone walks slowly. To say someone is late, use 늦다.

Which Words Are Related to 느리다?

• 빠르다
• 늦다
• 이르다
• 피곤하다
• Korean verb dictionary

What Should You Learn Next?

Learn 느리다 together with 빠르다, then sort out 늦다 and 이르다 for time. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.