die Sekunde
second
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI); the sixtieth part of a minute.
EXAMPLE
Eine Minute besteht aus sechzig Sekunden.
A minute consists of sixty seconds.
die Sekunde
second
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Meanings
die Sekunde
second / moment
A very short period of time; a moment.
EXAMPLE
Warte mal eine Sekunde, ich bin gleich bei dir.
Wait a second, I'll be right with you.
die Sekunde
second
A unit for measuring angles, corresponding to the sixtieth part of an arcminute. Also called an arcsecond.
EXAMPLE
Die genaue Position wurde auf Grad, Minute und Sekunde bestimmt.
The exact position was determined in degrees, minutes, and seconds.
Usage tips
Typical usage
In the meaning of 'kurzer Moment' (brief moment), 'Sekunde' (second) is very often used in spoken language to ask someone to be patient for a short moment.
EXAMPLE
Gib mir nur eine Sekunde, dann helfe ich dir.
Give me just a second, then I'll help you.
Fixed expression
The expression 'in letzter Sekunde' (at the last second) means that something happens just in time, shortly before it would have been too late.
EXAMPLE
Er hat den Zug in letzter Sekunde erreicht.
He caught the train at the last second.
Context clue
The meaning as a unit of angle is very specific. You can recognize it because it almost always appears together with the words 'Grad' (degree) and 'Minute' (minute) in a scientific or geographic context.
EXAMPLE
Die Koordinaten des Schiffes wurden mit Grad, Minute und Sekunde angegeben.
The ship's coordinates were given in degrees, minutes, and seconds.
Compare with
Sekunde vs Moment
moment
In a request, Moment and Sekunde can both refer to a very short waiting time. Moment leaves the exact duration open. Sekunde presents the expected wait as particularly short, without necessarily meaning exactly one measured second in such a request.
Sekunde
Warten Sie bitte eine Sekunde, ich hole nur schnell die Unterlagen.
Please wait a second; I'll just quickly get the documents.
Moment
Warten Sie bitte einen Moment, ich hole die Unterlagen.
Please wait a moment; I'll get the documents.
In real life
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