Meaning
primary, first, principal, main, chief
In a sentence
Il mio obiettivo primario è trovare un buon lavoro.
My main goal is to find a good job.
Qual è il colore primario che ti piace di più?
Which primary color do you like most?
Non è la mia preoccupazione primaria oggi.
It isn't my main concern today.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| primario | masculine · singular |
| primaria | feminine · singular |
| primari | masculine · plural |
| primarie | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use primario mostly in formal, technical, or institutional contexts; in everyday speech, principale is often more natural.
- In schools and healthcare, primario has fixed meanings: scuola primaria and il primario means the head physician, not just 'main'.
- Don’t overuse it for people or opinions; principale or fondamentale usually sounds more idiomatic depending on context.