secoli
The English phrase "centuries" is translated into Italian as secoli.
secoli refers to periods of one hundred years. When referring to specific centuries, such as "the 15th century", a formal way to express this is using Roman numerals, for example Il XV secolo, Il XVI secolo or Il XX secolo. For other contexts, you can use the ordinal numbering system, such as il primo secolo for "the first century" or il secondo secolo for "the second century".
What does it mean word for word?
The word secoli is derived from the Latin word saeculum, which means an age or a generation.
How does it change in a sentence?
secoli is the masculine plural form of the noun secolo, which means "century" in the singular.
Did you know?
- The English word 'secular' is a linguistic relative of secoli, as both come from the Latin concept of things belonging to the present age or world.
- The word secoli is often used hyperbolically in daily conversation, such as saying ci volevo secoli to express that something 'took forever'.
- While secolo means 'century', it is used in the common idiom per secoli to mean 'for a very long time' regardless of whether exactly one hundred years have passed.
Examples in context
- I profeti prevedono la fine del mondo da secoli.Prophets have been forecasting the end of the world for centuries.This sentence shows how to use secoli to describe a duration of time.Tatoeba #2995084 by Guybrush88, translation #324792 by CK
- La costruzione fu realizzata a cavallo di due secoli.The construction straddled two centuries.This sentence uses secoli to describe a construction period spanning multiple centuries.Tatoeba #1631424 by Guybrush88, translation #797193 by U2FS
- Questa cattedrale fu costruita più di quattro secoli fa.This cathedral was built more than four centuries ago.This sentence uses secoli to indicate how many centuries ago something occurred.Tatoeba #3151828 by Guybrush88, translation #2458000 by MethodGT
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are walking through the historic center of a city.
- GiuliaQuesti edifici hanno secoli di storia.These buildings have centuries of history.
- FrancescoÈ incredibile come siano ancora così belli.It is incredible how they are still so beautiful.
- GiuliaSì, i secoli sono passati ma l'eleganza resta.Yes, the centuries have passed but the elegance remains.
- FrancescoHai proprio ragione, Giulia.You are quite right, Giulia.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
