Meaning
mainly, principally
- primarily
In a sentence
L'azienda produce principalmente componenti elettronici.
The company mainly produces electronic components.
Mangio principalmente pasta e verdure durante la settimana.
I mainly eat pasta and vegetables during the week.
Hai scelto principalmente per il prezzo o la qualità?
Did you choose mainly for the price or the quality?
Usage notes
- Use principalmente for neutral, standard Italian. Soprattutto often sounds more like “above all” or “especially,” not just “mainly.”
- For listing points, principalmente can mean “firstly,” but prima or prima di tutto is more common in everyday speech.
- It usually modifies the whole clause or a verb phrase: mainly before the adjective is often better as soprattutto or per lo più.