curmale
The English word 'dates' (referring to the fruit) is curmale in Romanian.
curmale refers to the sweet, edible fruit of the date palm tree.
How does it change in a sentence?
When stating a date, Romanians often omit the word an (year) if the context makes it clear that a year is being referred to.
Did you know?
- The word curmale is a loanword from the Arabic tamr, reflecting the historical trade routes that brought the fruit and its name into the Balkan region.
- In some Romanian culinary traditions, specifically in the regions influenced by Ottoman cuisine, curmale are often stuffed with walnuts to create a specific type of dessert.
- In Romanian, the word curmale is used exclusively for the fruit, while the calendar date is dată. This prevents the common English ambiguity between a romantic outing and a piece of fruit.
Examples in context
- Am cumpărat niște curmale dulci.I bought some sweet dates.
- Aceste curmale sunt foarte proaspete.These dates are very fresh.
Example conversation
Stefan and Maria are looking at fruit in a market.
- StefanVrei să mâncăm aceste curmale?Do you want to eat these dates?
- MariaDa, curmalele de aici arată foarte bine.Yes, the dates here look very good.
- StefanSunt foarte dulci și delicioase.They are very sweet and delicious.
- MariaAtunci hai să luăm un kilogram.Then let's take one kilogram.
