segreteria

secretariat, secretary's office

noun seh-greh-teh-REE-ah Rare

Also means

voicemail, answering machine

Usage Note

Segreteria has two main modern uses: an administrative office (la segreteria di stato = 'the state department/secretariat') and a telephone answering service (lasciare un messaggio in segreteria = 'to leave a voicemail'). Learners sometimes confuse it with segretaria ('female secretary') — the person versus the office.

Examples

"Ho lasciato un messaggio in segreteria."

Natural Translation

I left a message on the voicemail.

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