A Walk in the Orchard
Let's explore the orchard (livada). In Romanian, a fruit-bearing tree has its own specific word: pomul. This is distinct from a general, non-fruit-bearing tree (copacul).
To contrast things, use the masculine plural pronouns unii (some) and alții (others):
| Some people work, others walk through the orchard. | Unii oameni lucrează, alții se plimbă prin livadă. |
In the spring, branches are filled with buds (mugurele).
| In the spring, every fruit tree is full of buds. | Primăvara, fiecare pom este plin de muguri. |
Protecting the Trees
Growers must regularly spray (a stropi) the young trees to protect them from pests (dăunătorul).
| Grandma continues to spray the young fruit trees. | Bunica continuă să stropească pomii tineri. |
| This pest destroys the root and the stem. | Acest dăunător distruge rădăcina și tulpina. |
Ripeness and Reasons
Eventually, the trees will bear fruit (a rodi). Produce is described as either ripe (copt) or unripe (crud — which literally translates to "raw").
To express "since" or "seeing that" to explain a situation, use the conjunction phrases din moment ce or de vreme ce.
| Since it has borne fruit, we have sweet peaches. | Din moment ce a rodit, avem piersici dulci. |
| Seeing that the apples are unripe, Elena does not pick them. | De vreme ce merele sunt crude, Elena nu le culege. |
| Some grapes are ripe, others are unripe. | Unii struguri sunt copți, alții sunt cruzi. |
The Harvest
Once the fruit is ripe, it is time to pick (a culege) it.
To describe finishing an action, use the verb a termina, the preposition de, and the supine form of the action verb (which looks just like the past participle). For example, "finished picking" is a terminat de cules.
| Ion has finished picking the cherries today. | Ion a terminat de cules cireșele astăzi. |
| Seeing that the harvest is abundant, we are happy. | De vreme ce recolta este abundentă, suntem fericiți. |
