Breakdown of Cumpăr legume de la aprozar.
cumpăra
to buy
leguma
the vegetable
de la
from
aprozarul
the greengrocer's
Questions & Answers about Cumpăr legume de la aprozar.
Does legume specifically mean beans and lentils, like the English word 'legume'?
No, this is a classic false friend. In Romanian, legume means vegetables in general (carrots, tomatoes, peppers, etc.). If you want to talk about beans or lentils specifically, you would use words like fasole (beans) or linte (lentils).
The translation says 'at the greengrocer's', but doesn't de la mean 'from'?
Yes, exactly! In Romanian, when you buy something, you conceptually buy it from the place or person, not at it. So you always say cumpăr de la (I buy from) rather than using la (at), even though in English we usually say 'buy at the store'.
Why is it just aprozar instead of aprozarul (the greengrocer's)?
In Romanian, when you use prepositions like de la, la, or din with a general place, you usually drop the definite article (the -ul ending). Because you are talking about buying from a greengrocer in general, not one specific shop we were just discussing, the article is left off.
What exactly is an aprozar compared to a regular store?
An aprozar is specifically a small shop or market stand dedicated to selling fresh fruits and vegetables. If you were buying general groceries or going to a modern supermarket, you would use magazin or supermarket instead.