34 Comments
167
So is parecchi = "several", "quite a few", or "plenty"? All answers are accepted here but "plenty" is too different than the rest, to me; plenty and enough should be the same, maybe.
Plenty, quite a lot, more than sufficient, rather a lot. Depending on the item some translations wouldn't work as well, for instance 'several'.
Eg
"Ho parecchie macchine" would translate well for most people as "I have several cars".
"Ho parecchi cappelli" would not translate well for most people as "I have several hairs"!
- 24
"Plenty" and "enough" aren't quite the same, though they are used similarly sometimes. "Enough" could be just barely enough; "plenty" is enough and possibly more than enough.
In my variety of English (Scottish), you never say "plenty of" but just plenty!
I'm dying there are like 1000 different ways to say any, some, a lot of, etc. And what's the difference? Oh I have no idea (well maybe a little :D)
I have had some difficulty working out the right translation for parecchi-o-e etc too, but I think that you just pick the expression that fits the context, the common element being that they all mean more than just a small number - several, a lot, much, quite a few, quite some etc but if it is only a small number, a very few or some then use something like alcuni, qualche, pochi, un paio etc. Duo might not always approve all possible translations so you would need to report any that you know are correct but are not accepted. The easiest way to avoid this confusion and effort is to look at the first hint and take that one provided it looks correct, as I think most of the problems come from Duo only accepting a few of the possible translations for any given exercise.
- 166
I translated as 'We have plenty apartments.' but not accepted. Wanted 'plenty of apartments' which is not what I would normally say.
AmEnglish speaker here - I would definitely say plenty of apartments. We have plenty apartments sounds very wrong to my ears. We have apartments aplenty, sure, but that sounds old-fashioned.
It's actually more proper to say plenty of, but you're right both should be accepted
- 269
I think "plenty apartments" is perfectly OK in some forms of English - but not southern British English.
Plenty apartments is colloquial not correct English like would of instead of would have.
Wretched property investors making it harder and harder for first home buyers!
Just checking: it seems we are allowed one spelling error in an answer, but two loses a heart - is that right?
Usually Duo allows one character to be wrong provided that the error does not create another valid word, as in the latter case it thinks you have put the wrong word rather than just made a typo. A missing character can count as wrong. Two wrong characters is counted as wrong. Accents and capitalization are usually not required.
I wrote "abbiamo parecchi apartimenti" and it failed me, it was just a spelling mistake! :(
Missing the single/double letter thing can get you into trouble with certain words ☺
- 269
I fell foul of that wretched "got" that DL loves so much! (I missed it out.)
? Yes we do. I can think of plenty of instances. Here's even a song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giVGv_dnmdY
"We have plenty apartments" is perfectly good english. I'm from the California region.
Having lived in the southern and eastern U.S. I have never heard "plenty" used without "of" except as a single answer. As in, "Do you have enough?" "Yes, I have plenty." "Sufficient" or "adequate" are used without "of", but using plenty that way sounds like broken English.
- 11
I agree. I've lived in the northeast and midwest USA and native speakers don't use plenty without "of."
Using "plenty" without the "of" must be a regional thing. The reason it usually needs the "of" is that in standard English (as per Oxford dictionary) it can be a pronoun (as in this case), noun, or adverb but in standard English is never used as a determiner, which is the case when it is used before a noun as in "plenty apartments". This use as a determiner is acknowledged by Oxford dictionaries, but it is stated to be informal, dialect. Possibly American or other dictionaries might define it as standard English. However in Australia the "of" is always used in my experience. See the example "there was plenty room" in the following: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plenty
Yes, I think it is regional. I've heard "plenty" without "of" in the midwestern and western USA. It may be a phonetic elision. "Plenty apartments" sounds OK to me, but "plenty teachers" does not.
- 24
"We have plenty apartments" isn't good standard English, no, but I've heard it in regional dialects.
- 269
Use of "plenty" without "of" is commonplace in Scotland. Perhaps more than 50%.
