Unii oameni lucrează, alții se plimbă prin livadă.
Some people work, others walk through the orchard.
Breakdown of Unii oameni lucrează, alții se plimbă prin livadă.
lucra
to work
omul
the man (human being)
se plimba
to go for a walk
prin
through; around (a place)
Questions & Answers about Unii oameni lucrează, alții se plimbă prin livadă.
Why do we use unii here for "some" instead of niște?
Niște is the plural indefinite article meaning "some" as an unspecified amount, like saying "a few". Unii is used to contrast a specific subgroup against another. It directly pairs with alții to create the classic "some... others..." structure. B2 learners should remember that niște cannot be used in this comparative way.
Unii is followed by oameni, but alții stands alone. Is there a difference in how they are used?
Yes! Here, unii acts as an adjective because it directly modifies the noun oameni. Alții acts as a pronoun, replacing the noun completely to avoid repetition. You could grammatically say alți oameni (other people), but just like in English, dropping the noun on the second half sounds much more natural.
Why is "walk" translated with the reflexive verb se plimbă?
Could I say în livadă instead of prin livadă?
Grammatically yes, but the nuance changes slightly. În livadă means "in the orchard," simply stating the physical location. Using the preposition prin means "through" or "around," which pairs perfectly with the idea of strolling and wandering across a space rather than just being stationary inside it.