26 Comments
Why can't you say "where do I find the fruit?" This would be the best way to express this particular question in English.
It sounds more natural in english to say "Where can i find the fruit?", although there isn't anything wrong with "where can i find the fruits?".
Guess I'll chime in. Native English speaker (American). I have never in my life heard somebody ask where the "fruits" are. it would be "where is the fruit". Would be like saying "where are gases stations"
I suppose «можно» is intentionally omitted here. If so, is such omission allowed only for «можно»? For example, how about «нужно»?
«Ну́жно» can be omited in questions, when you suggest something. However, it sounds good only when you use «мне» and «нам» — with other pronouns it would sound strange:
- Мне купи́ть карто́шки? 'Should I buy some potatoes?'
- Мне встре́тить тебя́ с по́езда? 'Should I meet you [coming] from the train?'
- Мне е́хать или не е́хать? 'Should I go or not?'
- Нам тебя́ подожда́ть? 'Should we wait for you?'
However, I'm not sure these sentences should be analyzed as sentences with «ну́жно» omited. Probably we can understand this as a meaning of sentences with infinitive.
Very interesting. Your explanation is easy to understand. Thank you ! Well, does «можно» drop off in the same manner?
You have no idea how often i screenshot and study your explanations of minutiae.
Excuse me, does the phrase "where do i find fruits" sound naturally? I tried to find examples of using the sentence, and found that it was used only 8 times..
Instead of the sentence "where can I find fruits" which was used 7360 times.
https://www.google.com.ua/search?client=opera="where+can+I+find+fruits"=opera=UTF-8=UTF-8
I've never heard an English speaker ask "Where can I find the fruits?". This does not mean it's impossible, but it may be rare. In someone's home, ask "Where's the fruit?". In a store, ask "Where can I find the fruit?".
im pretty sure that this makes more sense 'Where can I find the fruits?' do you agree that this makes more sense and it seems to be used WAY more than 'where can I find fruits?'
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in english fruit is said the same whether it's singular or plural. "Where can i find the fruit?" can i or do i would be the way it is most commonly expressed in english.
I think "где я могу найти фрукты?" sounds better. Which one is more natural for native speakers?
Where are all the native Russian speakers who could say what is the best way to say this in Russian?!
In a shop, to be polite, I always ask "Where will I find the wine/fruit/bananas?" This is a standard UK expression which implies that you expect the items to be stocked in that shop.
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Duo corrected "may I" with "can I". "Can I" would be the least preferred usage in: Where / do / may / can / I find fruits? · https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/can-or-may
For the native Russian speakers: Is it acceptable to say Где найти...?
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Actually, either fruits or fruit, with or without the, should be just fine in this sentence. It is just that somewhat different meaning is conveyed in the English. Fruits is generally used as a plural form when talking about multiple kinds of fruit, when you are trying to discriminate amongst different varieties, as in "you should incorporate many different fruits in your diet, not just apples". When talking about fruit as a completely generic quantity, fruit is treated as a collective noun, without a separate plural form, as in "Apples or oranges, what's the difference. They're all fruit." Many people in a supermarket would ask "Where do I find fruit?", but many of those same people when asking a slightly more general question would say "Where do I find the fruits and vegetables".
