葡萄
The English word 'grapes' is translated into Chinese as 葡萄.
葡萄 refers to the fruit known as grapes. You can use it in various contexts, such as asking for them with 'Qing gei wo yixie putao' (Please give me some grapes) or expressing your preference, like 'Wo zui xi huan chi putao, ni ne?' (I love eating grapes, how about you?). It is also common to discuss buying them, for example: 'Wo ye xi huan, jin tian qu mai le liangjin putao' (Me too, I just bought two kilograms of grapes today).
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting grapes, you should use specific classifiers. Use 颗 (kē) when referring to individual grapes, and use 串 (chuàn) when referring to a bunch or cluster of grapes.
Did you know?
- The word 葡萄 is actually a loanword that traveled through multiple ancient languages, likely originating from the Bactrian word for 'wine'.
- In Chinese, there is a famous idiom, 吃不到的葡萄是酸的, which means 'the grapes one cannot reach are sour'. It is used to describe someone making excuses for something they failed to obtain.
Examples in context
- 我吃两颗葡萄，剩下的留给你。I'll eat two grapes and leave the rest for you.This sentence shows how to use 葡萄 when talking about leaving some for someone else.Tatoeba #10983907 by Elaineeeeee, translation #10791706 by sundown
- 你最喜歡蘋果、橘子還是葡萄？Which do you like best, apples, oranges or grapes?This sentence uses 葡萄 to ask about someone's favorite fruit among several options.Tatoeba #13539904 by LeviHighway, translation #29631 by CK
- 昨晚我吃了两个青苹果和一碗青葡萄。I ate two green apples and a bowl of green grapes last night.This sentence uses 葡萄 to describe eating a bowl of green grapes.Tatoeba #10713329 by AwabiJan, translation #4520249 by mervert1
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Xiaowen are grocery shopping together.
- 俊杰 Junjie晓雯，你看这些葡萄怎么样？Xiǎowén, nǐ kàn zhèxiē pútao zěnmeyàng?Xiaowen, what do you think of these grapes?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen看起来很新鲜，买一些吧。Kàn qǐlái hěn xīnxiān, mǎi yīxiē ba.They look very fresh, let's buy some.
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，我拿两串葡萄。Hǎo de, wǒ ná liǎng chuàn pútao.Okay, I will take two bunches of grapes.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen俊杰，别忘了买葡萄汁。Jùnjié, bié wàngle mǎi pútao zhī.Junjie, don't forget to buy grape juice.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 葡萄, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
