The ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory exam tests Italian, French and German musical terms — including everything carried forward from Grades 1–4. This glossary covers the terms that appear in the exam, with plain-English meanings and Chinese translations. Terms most often mixed up by students are the French and German ones, which only appear from Grade 4–5 onwards.
| Term | Meaning | 中文 |
|---|
| accelerando | gradually getting quicker | 漸快 |
| adagio | slow | 柔板、緩慢地 |
| agitato | agitated | 激動地 |
| allargando | broadening, getting slower | 漸慢漸寬 |
| allegretto | fairly quick (slower than allegro) | 小快板 |
| allegro | quick, lively | 快板 |
| andante | at a medium walking speed | 行板 |
| animato | animated, lively | 有生氣地 |
| a tempo | in time (return to the previous speed) | 回原速 |
| calando | getting softer, dying away | 漸弱漸慢、逐漸消逝 |
| cantabile | in a singing style | 如歌地 |
| con brio | with vigour, spirit | 有活力地 |
| con moto | with movement | 流動地 |
| crescendo (cresc.) | gradually getting louder | 漸強 |
| da capo (D.C.) | repeat from the beginning | 從頭反復 |
| dal segno (D.S.) | repeat from the sign | 從記號處反復 |
| diminuendo (dim.) | gradually getting quieter | 漸弱 |
| dolce | sweet, soft | 甜美地 |
| espressivo | expressive | 富有表情地 |
| fine | the end | 結束 |
| forte (f) | loud | 強 |
| fortissimo (ff) | very loud | 很強 |
| giocoso | playful, merry | 嬉戲歡樂地 |
| grave | very slow, solemn | 壯板、極慢地 |
| grazioso | graceful | 優雅地 |
| incalzando | getting quicker (pressing forward) | 逐漸加快加緊 |
| largamente | broadly | 寬廣地 |
| largo | slow and stately | 廣板 |
| legato | smoothly | 連奏 |
| leggiero | light, nimble | 輕巧靈活地 |
| lento | slow | 慢板 |
| maestoso | majestic | 莊嚴宏偉地 |
| marcato | emphatic, accented | 加強地 |
| meno mosso | less movement, slower | 稍慢 |
| mezzo forte (mf) | moderately loud | 中強 |
| mezzo piano (mp) | moderately quiet | 中弱 |
| moderato | at a moderate speed | 中板 |
| molto | very, much | 很、非常 |
| morendo | dying away | 逐漸消逝 |
| non troppo | not too much | 不過分地 |
| pesante | heavy | 沉重地 |
| pianissimo (pp) | very quiet | 很弱 |
| piano (p) | quiet | 弱 |
| più mosso | more movement, quicker | 稍快 |
| poco a poco | little by little | 逐漸地 |
| presto | fast | 急板 |
| rallentando (rall.) | gradually getting slower | 漸慢 |
| risoluto | bold, strong | 果斷堅定地 |
| ritardando (rit.) | gradually getting slower | 漸慢 |
| ritenuto | held back | 突慢（保持住） |
| rubato | with some freedom of time | 彈性速度 |
| scherzando | playful, joking | 詼諧地 |
| semplice | simple, plain | 簡單樸素地 |
| sempre | always | 始終、一直 |
| senza | without | 沒有、不用 |
| sforzando (sfz) | forced, strongly accented | 突強 |
| smorzando | dying away in tone and speed | 漸弱漸慢至消失 |
| sostenuto | sustained | 持續地 |
| sotto voce | in an undertone | 低聲地 |
| staccato | detached | 斷奏 |
| subito | suddenly | 突然地 |
| tempo primo | return to the original speed | 回到最初速度 |
| tranquillo | calm, peaceful | 平靜地 |
| vivace | lively, quick | 活潑地 |