Meaning
second gear
- second (gear in a car)
- second year (in several types of school)
In a sentence
In salita metto la seconda, poi accelero piano.
Uphill I shift into second, then accelerate slowly.
Tua sorella fa la seconda al liceo, vero?
Your sister is in the second year of high school, right?
Non entra la seconda, forse c'è un problema.
Second gear won't go in, maybe there's a problem.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| seconda | feminine · singular |
| seconde | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- For school years, Italians often say fare la seconda or essere in seconda. Add the school type if needed: seconda media, seconda liceo.
- As a noun for car gear, seconda is feminine: mettere la seconda, essere in seconda. Do not confuse it with secondo, which usually means second/course.
- In driving, marcia is often added for clarity: seconda marcia. In casual speech, just seconda is very common.