Collective fruits and vegetables

[kutsuwamushi]

Some Russian words for fruits and vegetables that are collective, like English "bread." These don't have plurals except in special contexts, like when referring to more than one kind.

The suffix -ина is sometimes added to refer to a particular item. You can also use штука "item" to describe a counted number: пять штук вишин.

A diminutive suffix may also be added. See this post on learn_russian where some Russian speakers comment on how they use the diminutive with these collective nouns.

брусника cowberries
вишня cherries
горох peas
ежевика blackberries
земляника wild strawberries
капуста cabbage
картофель (m) potatoes
клубника cultivated strawberries
крыжовник gooseberries
лук onions
малина raspberries
морковь (f) carrots
красная смородина redcurrants
чёрная смородина blackcurrants

Comments

[jaaaarne]

Sorry for such a waaaay late reply, but just in case anyone needs it at some point:

I can't explain it in proper terms, but the correct spelling is "пять вишен". You've chosen the only word from your list that won't end in -ина for this example. :)

Also, in most cases штука is not really necessary when you name the item itself or when it's apparent. Example:

- Сколько ягод?
- Пять вишен.

- Сколько вишен?
- Пять штук.

- Сколько штук?
- Пять.