centrale

/t͡ʃenˈtra.le/adjective · masculine / noun · feminineA2 / B2

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Meaning · adjective

central

La stazione centrale è a dieci minuti da qui.
The central station is ten minutes from here.

Questo punto è centrale per capire il problema.
This point is central to understanding the problem.

Hai già visto la piazza centrale del paese?
Have you already seen the town's main square?

Word forms (4)

Use centrale for physical or organizational position: stazione centrale, ruolo centrale. For importance alone, principale or fondamentale may sound more natural.
It agrees in gender and number: centrale, centrali. Don't confuse it with centro, which is the noun 'center.'
With cities, zona centrale means downtown/central area; in centro is often more idiomatic for 'in the city center.'

power station, power plant

La centrale elettrica fornisce energia a tutta la città.
The power plant supplies electricity to the whole city.

Hai già chiamato la centrale oggi?
Have you already called the head office today?

Domani vado in centrale per una riunione.
Tomorrow I'm going to the head office for a meeting.

Word forms (2)

Word	Word forms
centrale	feminine · singular
centrali	feminine · plural

As a noun, centrale often means a utility or operations center, not just a company head office; context matters.
For a company headquarters, sede centrale is more common and clearer than centrale alone.
Don't confuse noun centrale with adjective centrale meaning central; articles help: la centrale vs ufficio centrale.