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Vasmer's etymological dictionary:
- Latin "confectum" (cooked, made, prepared) → Italian "confetto" (sugar-coated almond) → конфе́ты (plural)
- German "konfekt" (candy) → конфе́кты (old version, plural)
- Italian "confetti" (plural "confetto", candies, paper imitations) → конфетти́
Yeah, it would confuse me more if I didn't visit a local Russian store and constantly see the word конфеты everywhere!
You are using the nominative singular form. You need to use the plural genitive. We are talking about candies.
I now realise it is also the nominative form. However, I initially thought 'konfet' was the nominative form and that I would need to add '-a' to make it genitive.
But surely конфет is not the plural genitive form - ? I don't understand why that is used here.
Yes, конфета is nominative singular, it changes to конфеты in genitive singular and конфет in genitive plural.
I don't remember where the sentence occurs in the course... have you not reached the genitive plural skill yet?
I looked back at the Genitive skill and didn't see anything helpful....so, apparently not.
Same here in NZ, it's very rare for us to say 'candy' so duolingo keeps telling me I'm wrong D:
yes in new zealand anyway. you never hear 'candy' said. 'Lollies ' would be the kids' word, 'sweets' is more adult and 'confectionery ' rather formal.
Interesting. Now I just need to know what you call coffee down there and I'll have everything I need for my trip to New Zealand.... :-)
1098
In the US, "candies" is rarely used. "sweets" almost never, except in sayings like "sweets to the sweet". The collective noun "candy" is encountered almost all the time. If we want to describe different items of candy, then we talk about "pieces of candy" or "a piece of candy".
In portuguese we have the word "confeito" with the same meaning. It's awesome!
Perhaps because that's just a really odd way to say it in English?
That would be like saying "I have never seen the Micky Mouse." It's just not said that way. (Unless "the candy" refers to a specific candy that was part of a prior conversation. As in "they don't have the candy I was looking for.")
Either way, putting "the" in front of candy/candies isn't very common in English. (In this kind of sentence) Or it's at least not common in my part of the world.
I've only heard "We do not have (noun)" and never "We do not have the (noun)." in this kind of sentence.
You hit on the reason in your second paragraph - 'unless "the candy" refers to a specific candy'. With the definite article it always refers to some specific candy, and the definite article has to be used in that case. It's not very common just because we don't talk about specific candy all that often, not because there's anything wrong with it.
The comparison to saying "the Mickey Mouse" isn't that great - "Mickey Mouse" is a proper name so is used without articles.
But why not конфеты? Is конфет also plural? (or any mass uncountable like картошка?)
How about accepting Australian, "we do not have any lollies" instead of trying to foist americanism on us
I put sweeties instead of candies, is there another word for sweeties or is just it likes to use American english translations rather than British english translations?
"We do not have candy/candies/sweets/sweeties/ lollies/confectionary/ confectionaries". Is the range of options that is technically correct depending on where in the world you are, local idiom and true to target language. Failure to accept any of those answers means the program writers need to be sent to the naughty corner and not let out until they apologise and rewrite the answers..
Конфета is a count noun in Russian. If you mean just this one, it is есть конфета / нет конфеты:
If by "candy" you mean these, it is есть конфеты / нет конфет:
- 1098
Kind if guessing here, but I think it's because конфет is genitive plural. If the sentence were У нас нет конфеты (Candy in genitive singular), then your sentence would be correct. It's like "not any" means "not a single piece of". That, of Duo is wrong not to include it, and your answer should be reported as correct.
Hopefully, someone will see this who actually knows the answer firmly, and respond.
I wrote chocolate and not candy, why was this wrong? Is candy not like the Americanisation. Chocolate vomes under the heading of confectionary.
In the U.S., "candy" and "chocolate" are not interchangeable. Chocolate is a type of candy, but not all candy is chocolate. Candy is a generic term, most kinds being comprised of sugar (or more commonly, corn syrup), food coloring and flavorings. There are hard candies (e.g., peppermints, butterscotch), soft candies like taffy and licorice, and yes, chocolate candies like M&M's, chocolate candy bars and expensive chocolate truffles.
It is chocolates. As far as the English translation is concerned, конфета means a small sweet and may be translated differently depending on what it is made of.
Or you can just translate them as "sweets", "candy", "lollies" depending on what variety of English you speak—if extreme precision is uncalled for.
"A box of chocolates" is an especially good match for коробка конфет, at least in the most common scenarios (but not if you bought a large cardboard box full of lollipops)
Mom: No candy honey. Me: Mom I h8 u guys. Me: I'm leaving this household until you buy me candy.
