Jīntiān chāoshì lǐ de píngguǒ kànqǐlái tèbié xīnxiān.

In Mandarin, time words often come near the beginning of the sentence, before the main topic or action.

So:

今天 超市里的苹果 看起来 特别新鲜。

follows a very common pattern:

Time + place/topic + comment

A natural English-like breakdown is:

• 今天 = today
• 超市里的苹果 = the apples in the supermarket
• 看起来特别新鲜 = look especially fresh

You could think of 今天 as setting the time frame first: As for today, the apples in the supermarket look especially fresh.

里 means inside or in.

• 超市 = supermarket
• 超市里 = in the supermarket / inside the supermarket

In Chinese, nouns for places are often followed by 里 to show location:

• 家里 = at home / in the house
• 学校里 = in the school
• 房间里 = in the room

So 超市里 literally means inside the supermarket.

Here, 的 connects a modifying phrase to a noun.

• 超市里的苹果 = the apples that are in the supermarket = the supermarket’s apples in a loose English sense = more naturally, the apples in the supermarket

The phrase 超市里 describes 苹果, and 的 links the description to the noun.

A useful pattern is:

place + 的 + noun

Examples:

• 桌子上的书 = the books on the table
• 房间里的猫 = the cat in the room
• 超市里的苹果 = the apples in the supermarket

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly.

• 超市的苹果 = the supermarket’s apples / apples sold by the supermarket
• 超市里的苹果 = the apples in the supermarket

In many situations, both can work, but 超市里的苹果 focuses more clearly on location. It tells you these are the apples inside that supermarket.

For this sentence, 超市里的苹果 is the more precise and natural choice if you mean the apples you see there.

Because 超市里 is not acting as the main location of the verb by itself here. It is part of a larger modifier:

• 超市里的苹果 = the apples in the supermarket

If you said:

• 苹果在超市里。 that would mean The apples are in the supermarket.

But in your sentence, 超市里 is attached to 苹果 through 的, so 在 is not needed.

Compare:

• 苹果在超市里。 = The apples are in the supermarket.
• 超市里的苹果很新鲜。 = The apples in the supermarket are very fresh.

看起来 means to look or to seem from appearance.

So:

• 苹果看起来特别新鲜 = The apples look especially fresh

It describes the speaker’s impression based on what they see, not necessarily an absolute fact.

A very useful pattern is:

noun + 看起来 + adjective

Examples:

• 他看起来很累。 = He looks tired.
• 这道菜看起来不错。 = This dish looks pretty good.
• 天气看起来要下雨。 = It looks like it’s going to rain.

Yes.

• 很新鲜 = very fresh
• 特别新鲜 = especially fresh / particularly fresh

Both are natural. The difference is mainly one of emphasis.

• 很 is very common and often mild in tone
• 特别 adds stronger emphasis, like especially or really

So:

• 苹果看起来很新鲜。 = The apples look very fresh.
• 苹果看起来特别新鲜。 = The apples look especially fresh.

Because 特别 is already modifying 新鲜.

In Mandarin, when an adjective is used as a predicate, it often needs an adverb before it, such as:

• 很
• 非常
• 特别
• 真

So:

• 苹果很新鲜。
• 苹果非常新鲜。
• 苹果特别新鲜。

are all natural.

If you say just:

• 苹果新鲜。

it can sound marked, contrastive, or like a judgment in a specific context rather than a neutral statement.

In your sentence, 特别 fills that role, so 很 is unnecessary.

Yes.

• 特别新鲜 = especially fresh
• 看起来特别新鲜 = looks especially fresh

Adding 看起来 makes it about appearance or impression.

So:

• 今天超市里的苹果特别新鲜。 means the apples are especially fresh.

• 今天超市里的苹果看起来特别新鲜。 means they appear especially fresh.

The second is a little softer and more observational.

A helpful breakdown is:

今天 | 超市里的苹果 | 看起来 | 特别新鲜

• 今天 = time
• 超市里的苹果 = subject/topic noun phrase
• 看起来 = linking verb-like expression meaning look/seem
• 特别新鲜 = description

So the structure is basically:

Time + subject + 看起来 + adjective phrase

This is a very common sentence pattern in Mandarin.

It usually refers to a specific set of apples: the apples in the supermarket being talked about.

Chinese does not use articles like the and a, so specificity often comes from context.

Here, 超市里的苹果 sounds like a definite group:

• the apples in that supermarket
• the apples there today

So even though there is no word exactly equal to the, the phrase is naturally understood as specific.

Here, 特别 is an adverb, so it means especially, particularly, or really.

• 特别新鲜 = especially fresh

But 特别 can also be an adjective in other contexts:

• 这个礼物很特别。 = This gift is very special.

So the meaning depends on how it is used:

• before an adjective or verb, it is often especially / particularly
• as a descriptive adjective itself, it can mean special

In this sentence, 苹果 is most naturally understood as plural: apples.

Chinese nouns usually do not change form for singular or plural, so 苹果 can mean:

• apple
• apples

Context decides the number.

Because 超市里的苹果 refers to apples in a supermarket as a group, English would normally translate it as the apples.

Because the sentence is talking about apples as a category or group, not counting them.

Measure words are needed when you specify number or amount, for example:

• 一个苹果 = one apple
• 两个苹果 = two apples
• 一些苹果 = some apples

But when you simply refer to apples in general or as a group, no measure word is needed:

• 苹果很贵。 = Apples are expensive.
• 超市里的苹果很新鲜。 = The apples in the supermarket are fresh.

Yes, it is natural and idiomatic.

It sounds like something someone might say while shopping or commenting on what they see:

• 今天超市里的苹果看起来特别新鲜。

It is clear, grammatically normal, and conversational.

A slightly simpler version would also be common:

• 今天超市里的苹果特别新鲜。

But using 看起来 makes the statement a little more based on visual impression, which is also very natural.