countable uncountable

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atabitaraf

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Although in your countries bread is uncountable because you don't count them but in Iran we sell bread based on their number and we count them.
For example we say one bread, two bread, etc. Generally I think that bread is countable for us Iranians, am I right or wrong?
Besides, I don't mean a loaf of bread or two loafs of bread but I think bread should be countable by itself here for us and I think the situation of being countable or uncountable is something deals with different cultures and we could say that something is countable that you think is uncountable or vice versa.
I don't know... I'm not in the posision to say that, what's your guide?
 

AlexAD

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I am not a teacher nor a native.

As for me, I consider bread like wheat that is uncountable in its nature.
In Russian bread is also uncountable. I cannot think of bread being countable in the meaning of crop. But may be in your language it is true. I think you are right in that there is something to do with the culture within the language is used.

Respectfully yours, Alex.
 

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Bread is countable in Turkish too.We can say 1 bread,2 bread...etc.In my opinion bread must be counted.
 

gulesin

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Not in English.

I know,bread is uncountable in English,but In my opinion it can be counted.In English bread is counted as''a loaf of bread,two loaves of bread,three loaves of bread.........etc.''But in Turkish we say 1 bread,2 bread.These are differences of languages.
 
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AlexAD

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Bread is countable in Turkish too.We can say 1 bread,2 bread...etc.In my opinion bread must be counted.
In Russian we also can say something that one would literaly translate into English as one bread, two bread. But there are some contexts when bread is uncountable. So, I am sorry. In Russian bread might be both countable and uncountable. Will the bread be countable in the given context: 'Turkey has produced 1000 tons (e.g.) of bread this year' ?
 

gulesin

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In Russian we also can say something that one would literaly translate into English as one bread, two bread. But there are some contexts when bread is uncountable. So, I am sorry. In Russian bread might be both countable and uncountable. Will the bread be countable in the given context:


In some cases it is uncountable in Turkish too.
''Can I get somebread''

''There isn't any bread at home''But we can't say'''Turkey has produced 1000 tons of bread this year' ''

We can say Turkey has produced10.000 bread this year.
 

AlexAD

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It is very interesting that you might say that in Turkish. But I cannot say that I didn't expect to hear that.
 

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atabitaraf

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We can say Turkey has produced10.000 bread this year.
Not a teacher or native,
At least you should say: "Turkey has produced 10.000 breads this year." while bread is countable.
 

atabitaraf

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Hello there,
The idea is important, because if I spoke English in my English class but in Iran I would say two breads and I beleive it is grammatically correct in English because basically the shape of the bread and the way of using it and ordering it are different here, so if I speak English but about Iranian bread I consider it as a countable thing, and when you English friends come here you'd better say two breads too (for buying Iranian breads :fadein: ).
Ata,
 

Nudrat Nazeer

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Hello there,
The idea is important, because if I spoke English in my English class but in Iran I would say two breads and I beleive it is grammatically correct in English because basically the shape of the bread and the way of using it and ordering it are different here, so if I speak English but about Iranian bread I consider it as a countable thing, and when you English friends come here you'd better say two breads too (for buying Iranian breads :fadein: ).
Ata,

Bread is countable in Pakistani English too. We say one bread, two breads, three breads etc to mean one loaf of bread, two loaves of bread, three loaves of bread.
It's only a difference of dialects, as far as I understand.
 

aachu

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I think bread is an uncountable noun. For we say 'eat some bread'; 'a piece of bread'; 'three slices of bread' etc.
 
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gulesin

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Not a teacher or native,
At least you should say: "Turkey has produced 10.000 breads this year." while bread is countable.

In Turkish we don't make nouns plural adding suffixes If there is a number in front of the nouns,so we say 2 bread(I know,it is nonsense in English)not 2 breads.;-)

Of course ,these are different usages in different languages.
 

Rover_KE

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This thread is becoming surreal.

Would it be better discussed in the General Language Discussions Forum?

Rover
 

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atabitaraf

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In Turkish we don't make nouns plural adding suffixes If there is a number in front of the nouns,so we say 2 bread(I know,it is nonsense in English)not 2 breads.;-)

Of course ,these are different usages in different languages.

Excuse me Rover KE and Bhaisahab, but let me say more clearly,

All of the English rules are respectable and vital, so we should use all countable nouns in pluraralized form when they are more than one. (turkish bread is not an exception and if it is countable so should be pluralized respectless of turkish grammar)

My thread is about something else, I say the bread here we have in Iran is basically not the bread that you have in England or the United States, (its shape is different and it is totally another entity) and so we have a right to count Iranian breads.

1. a piece of bread (the bread in England)
2. some breads (the kind of different object we eat here as Iranian traditional bread, it is not like the bread you have it is countable because it is counted)
 

gulesin

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''All of the English rules are respectable and vital, so we should use all countable nouns in pluraralized form when they are more than one. (turkish bread is not an exception and if it is countable so should be pluralized respectless of turkish grammar)''
Atabitaraf I know all of the English rules are vital and respectable.Iknow the rules of making pluralize in English sufficient enough to be an English teacher.Just open your mind and try to understand what I mean.In TURKISH we say one bread(1 ekmek)
iki ekmek =two loaves of bread in English.(we don' t use suffix two make plural in Turkish)And BREAD is a COUNTABLE noun in Turkish.I mean as BREAD is UNCOUNTABLE in English,we CAN'T say 2 breadsalthough I talk about bread in Turkey.Because English grammar rules requires this(2 breads isn't a true usage in Englısh.)You have to say ''2 loaves of bread!

That is my last explanation,that is all.
 
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Tdol

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My thread is about something else, I say the bread here we have in Iran is basically not the bread that you have in England or the United States, (its shape is different and it is totally another entity) and so we have a right to count Iranian breads.

The right to count or not count bread is not determined by its nation of origin- this is a non-argument as grammar is not decided in this way. If you want to say two breads, then say it. However, be aware that most speakers of English will regard it as wrong, and you would be marked wrong in an exam. Why don't you use the name of the bread- we say two baguettes in English, for example.

BTW, there are hundreds of varieties of bread on sale in all sorts of shapes and sizes in the US and the UK.
 

5jj

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Some people are saying things like, "In Iranian, Russina, Pakistani, etc we say two breads". You don't, because two breads is English (and usually unacceptable English). In your language the word for bread may be countable, but the word bread is almost always uncountable in English. When you say your word for two followed by the plural form of your word for bread , we would usually say two loaves of bread or, if appropriate two types/sorts of bread.
 
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