second language
ˈsɛkənd ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ
Definition Synonyms

Definition of second language - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
personallanguage learned after the native language
  • English is her second language.
foreign language
2.
communicationlanguage used for public communication
  • French is a second language in Canada.
auxiliary language lingua franca
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Expressions with second

second honeymoonn.
second vacation taken by a married couple
They went on a second honeymoon to rekindle their romance.
second thoughtn.
reconsideration or revised opinion of a previous decision
After a second thought, he decided not to go.
hot secondn.
very short period of time
I'll be back in a hot second.
second cityn.
city ranking second in population or importance
Chicago is often called the second city of the United States.
hang on a secondintj.
ask someone to wait briefly before continuing
Hang on a second, I need to grab my phone.
just a secondn.
short, unspecified period of time
I'll be with you in just a second.

Expressions with language

colorful languagen.
vivid or expressive words
The poet's colorful language painted a vivid picture in the reader's mind.
choice languagen.
words that are very rude or offensive
He used choice language when he got angry.
salty languagen.
offensive or vulgar words
The movie was full of salty language.
wooden languagen.
unnatural, stiff or overly formal language
His speech was criticized for its wooden language that lacked emotion..
pick up a languagev.
learn a language informally
She picked up the language while living abroad.
speak the same languagev.
understand each other well
Despite their differences, they speak the same language at work.
talk the same languagev.
understand each other well
Despite their differences, they talk the same language when it comes to values.
watch one's languagev.
speak carefully to avoid being rude or offensive
Please watch your language; there are children sitting right behind you.
watch your languagev.
be careful with the words you use
You should watch your language when speaking to elders.
someone's language doesn't bear repeatingexp.
language is too offensive to repeat
His language doesn't bear repeating in front of the kids.

Terms related to second language

💡 Terms in the same lexical field: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, hypernyms…
acquisitionbilingualismcommunicationfluencylearninglinguisticsproficiencydialectinterpretationspeechtranslation

Terms with second language included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
ESLabbr.
abr: English as a second language
class for people learning English after another language
interlanguagen.
language learning
type of language developed by learners of a second language
ELIacr.
acr: English Language Institute
school or program for learning English as a second language
NNESacr.
acr: non-native English speaker
person who speaks English as a second language
NNSEacr.
acr: non-native speaker of English
person learning English as a second language
TESLabbr.
abr: teaching English as a second language
teaching English to people who speak other languages
Basic Englishn.
education
simplified English for teaching English as a second language

Examples of second language in a sentence

  • Spanish became his second language after moving to Mexico.
  • English is often taught as a second language worldwide.
  • Spanish serves as a second language in many US schools.

View all translations of second language

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:deuxième langue, langue additionnelle, ...
  2. German:Zweitsprache, Fremdsprache, ...
  3. Italian:seconda lingua, ...
  4. Spanish:segundo idioma, lengua secundaria, ...
  5. Portuguese:segunda língua, ...
  6. Chinese:第二语言, 公共语言, ...
  7. Japanese:第二言語, ...
  8. Arabic:لُغَة ثَانِيَة, ...
  9. Hebrew:שָׂפָה שְׁנִיָּה, ...
  10. Russian:второй язык, иностранный язык, ...
  11. Ukrainian:друга мова, інша мова, ...
  12. Hindi:दूसरी भाषा, सहायक भाषा, ...

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