verlangsamt

Verlangsamt is a German word that functions as a finite verb form and as a past participle of the verb verlangsamen. In everyday language it primarily means to slow down or to decelerate something, or to become slower.

As a finite form, verlangsamt corresponds to the third-person singular present tense: er verlangsamt, sie verlangsamt. It can be used transitively, for example: Wir müssen den Verkehr verlangsamen. It can also be used intransitively with reflexive or intransitive meaning: Der Zug verlangsamt sich.

As a past participle, verlangsamt is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses and can function as a participial adjective in passive constructions: Die Geschwindigkeit ist verlangsamt worden. The same participle form also appears in contexts describing a state of slowed movement, often translated as “slowed” or “decelerated.”

Etymology and related forms: verlangsamen is built from the adjective langsam (slow) with the prefix ver-, which commonly marks a change of state or a transformation. The noun form Verlangsamung denotes the process or result of deceleration, i.e., a slowdown or slowdown effect.

Usage notes: Verlangsamen appears in scientific, technical, and everyday contexts, including traffic management, physics, biology, and economics, where it describes a reduction in rate, speed, or progression. Related terms include Verlangsamung (deceleration) and langsam (slow).