"a loaf of bread"
Translation:o pâine
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So pâine is just like the mass/general term, and using "o" makes it refer to a loaf?
Here's my thought. In this case the "o" just serves to make it "a loaf of bread" rather than just "loaf of bread". The fact that it's "loaf" is just informal. In english, when we say garlic, we usually are referring to a clove of garlic. In this case, when they say "paine", you could translate it either as the general term "bread", or in context assume they are talking about "a loaf of bread". It all depends on when it's used.
how it works: eu vreau o pâine = i want a loaf of bread eu vreau o felie de pâine = i want a slice of bread eu vreau câteva feli de pâine = i want a few slices of bread eu vreau niște pâine = i want some bread
That would be "câteva felii de pâine" -- double "i" for "felii" because it is a plural noun.
felie -- singular
felii -- plural
feliile- plural + definite article (the slices)
I want a few slices of bread = Vreau câteva felii de pâine.
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I cannot attest for Romanian, but other Romance languages don't necessarily use the loaf-equivalent word. In Brazilian Portuguese, depending on where you are, um pão ou um pãozinho is a roll of bread eaten everyday.
pâine is the substance ... o is the totality of it. exemplu ...crumbs are pâine, bits of pâine but they are made of pâine none the less...but crumbs are not "a"pâine. I would not say go to the magazin and buy a piece of bread I would say buy - a bread - it sounds a bit funny when I say it in english because we do not use and indefinite article in this case...In english we just say ---buy bread.
A loaf of bread means "o franzelă" în România. "O pâine" is an informal use, literally meaning "one bread" or "a bread".
Weirdly, I do not learn "bucata" and "de" in advance, how can I know the spelling of them?
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Stella355914 You may paste "o bucată de pâine" in Google Translate (from Romanian) and then you may use the speller... Unfortunately we cannot add new words at the beginninig of this course...
they suddenly throw the word bucată in there as if we are supposed to have known it all this time.
"O bucată de pâine" means "a piece of bread". "A loaf of bread" would be "o franzelă" in Romanian. "Franzelă" is a feminine noun, hence the use of the indefinite article "o" before it.
Usually in English, "a bread" refers to a type of bread, like flatbread, sandwich bread, brioche &c. That's why they've added "a loaf of" in the English translation, to match the meaning of the Romanian sentence.
[2019/04/18]
Sorry, but wasn't I told over and over again that "loaf of bread" was an alternative translation of pâinea; the bread?!
Is it not accepted just because of the article "a" required here?
Does the person who made this exercise understand the subtle difference between challenging the student ...and trolling them?
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You have to remember that the definite article is enclitic in Romanian, i.e., it is placed at the end of the noun and becomes part of that noun. In this case:
(o) pâine = (a) loaf of bread
pâinea = the loaf of bread
Selecting the wrong article (definite vs. indefinite) counts as a mistake in all the Duo language classes I take.
Is pâine masculine or feminine? I've seen both o and un for it. Are both correct?
Pâine is feminine. One (loaf of) bread = O pâine, Two (loaves of) bread = Două pâini. "Un pâine" is not correct. The word for "dog" is very similar and is masculine: "un câine".
So, is bucata de paine interchangeable with painea (sorry can't remember how the word was spelled) or are there certain times when you would use both? I've seen both versions translated as a loaf of bread.
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They are not interchangeable, because "bucata de pâine" is "some of the bread" and "pâinea" is usually "the whole bread".
"O bucată de pâine" = a piece of bread
pâine = bread
pâinea = the bread
a loaf of bread = o franzelă
I put o franzela de paine which word by word is a loaf of bread. Very odd that it said its wrong. I speak romanian lol
