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- "השוטר לא יודע אם אלה בקבוקי …
"השוטר לא יודע אם אלה בקבוקי מים או בקבוקי יין."
Translation:The policeman does not know whether these are bottles of water or bottles of wine.
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In English, there is a possible subtle contrast between:
A. a water bottle and a bottle of water; and
B. a wine bottle and a bottle of wine.
A bottle designed for wine that has no wine in it is generally termed a wine bottle, but would not be termed a bottle of wine.
I would appreciate comments on Hebrew equivalents.
Great observation! The term בקבוק יין would generally mean "(a) wine bottle", as if a bottle which originally was made to contain wine, AND ALSO "(a) bottle of wine", as if a bottle full of wine. This nuance just doesn't exist in Hebrew as it is in English.
To emphasize the content of a bottle, you could say בקבוק מלא יין which is directly translates to "a bottle full of wine". On the other hand, you could say בקבוק יין ריק, which literally mean "an empty wine bottle".
Hope this helps!
Yeah that kinda helps but usually people dont say בקבוק מלא יין. But thanks.
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Why have you written, "בקבוק מלא יין" and "בקבוק יין ריק"? I don't understand why there's a difference in word order.
