Не те щоб полуниця дорога, але вона ще не стигла.

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Breakdown of Не те щоб полуниця дорога, але вона ще не стигла.

• не: not
• дорогий: expensive
• ще: yet

Questions & Answers about Не те щоб полуниця дорога, але вона ще не стигла.

What does не те щоб mean here? Is it the same as not that in English?

Yes, не те щоб is an idiomatic expression meaning something like:

• it’s not that...
• not exactly that...
• it’s not really because...

In this sentence, it softens or corrects a possible explanation:

• Не те щоб полуниця дорога...
  = It’s not that the strawberries are expensive...

The speaker is saying: price is not really the problem. The real issue comes in the second part: але вона ще не стигла.

A very natural English rendering is:

• It’s not that the strawberries are expensive; they’re just not ripe yet.

So yes, it is close to English not that, but as a fixed Ukrainian phrase it often has a slightly hedging, conversational feel.

Why is полуниця singular if English would usually say strawberries?