secondary
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secondary
Of second or lesser importance; not the most important or main thing.
Die Farbe des Autos ist sekundär, solange die Technik in Ordnung ist.
The color of the car is secondary, as long as the technology is in good condition.
The word 'sekundär' (secondary) belongs to a series of words that describe a sequence: 'primär' (primary, in first place), 'sekundär' (secondary, in second place), 'tertiär' (tertiary, in third place). Its origin from the Latin word for 'the second' helps you understand the meaning.
Zuerst kommt die primäre Analyse, dann die sekundäre Auswertung.
First comes the primary analysis, then the secondary evaluation.
In the meaning 'unimportant', 'sekundär' (secondary) is very often used predicatively. The sentence pattern is then: [Something] is secondary.
Ob wir heute oder morgen anfangen, ist sekundär.
Whether we start today or tomorrow is secondary.
This meaning is often found in scientific or technical texts. Signal words in the sentence are nouns like 'Folge' (consequence), 'Wirkung' (effect), or 'Effekt' (effect), which result from a primary cause.
Die Krankheit selbst ist das primäre Problem, die psychischen Belastungen sind eine sekundäre Folge.
The disease itself is the primary problem; the psychological strain is a secondary consequence.
This meaning is used almost exclusively in the context of the education system. It usually appears in the fixed phrase 'sekundärer Bildungsbereich' (secondary education sector) or in the word 'Sekundarstufe' (secondary level).
Nach der Grundschule wechseln die Kinder in den sekundären Bildungsbereich.
After primary school, the children move into the secondary education sector.
essential / significantly
'wesentlich' and 'sekundär' are opposites when it comes to importance. 'wesentlich' describes something that is central and decisive. 'sekundär' here means that something is only of secondary importance and is not the focus. It is not necessarily unimportant, but less important than the main point. You can remember it like this: 'wesentlich' is the core; 'sekundär' comes after that.
Bei diesem Problem ist die Farbe des Geräts sekundär.
In this problem, the color of the device is secondary.
Für die Prüfung sind die Hauptbegriffe wesentlich.
The key concepts are essential for the exam.