une seconde
The English phrase "one second" is translated into French as une seconde.
une seconde refers to a short period of time used to ask someone to wait for a moment. Similar to English, it is often used figuratively to mean a very brief moment rather than a literal measurement of sixty seconds.
Which one should you use?
While une seconde is common, the phrase un instant (meaning "a moment") is often used in more polite or formal service contexts to ask someone to wait.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word seconde is a feminine noun, so the indefinite article must be the feminine une. In the informal expression Un p'tit instant, s'il te plaît the word p'tit is a contraction of petit.
Did you know?
- In a professional setting like a hotel or restaurant, using une seconde can actually make you sound impatient or rude. To maintain a polite and graceful tone, it is much better to use the phrase un instant.
- The word seconde in this context comes from the Latin 'secunda', which literally means 'the second' in a sequence, referring to its place in the division of a minute.
- The word seconde is a linguistic chameleon that functions as both a unit of time and an ordinal number. It can mean 'second' in a sequence, such as 'the second person in line', regardless of any connection to time.
Examples in context
- Attends une seconde !Wait one second.This sentence shows how to use une seconde when telling someone to wait.Tatoeba #1852400 by sacredceltic, translation #1850244 by CK
- Tu peux fermer ta gueule juste une seconde ?Could you shut the fuck up just one second?This sentence uses une seconde in a very vulgar, informal way to tell someone to shut up.Tatoeba #10680023 by AutoBot, translation #10680022 by AutoBot
- Excuse-moi une seconde.Excuse me one second.This sentence uses une seconde to ask for a brief excuse.Tatoeba #8432018 by Aiji, translation #3168268 by CK
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé is looking for her keys while Gabriel is waiting by the door.
- ChloéJe ne trouve pas mes clés.I can't find my keys.
- GabrielOn est déjà en retard, Chloé !We're already late, Chloé!
- ChloéAttends une seconde, elles sont là !Wait one second, here they are!
- GabrielD'accord, on y va maintenant.Okay, let's go now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries seconde, une, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
