# He buys about two carrots.



## dylanxkane

Trying to say
He buys *about* two carrots.

My attempts
Él compra *alrededor de* dos zanahorias.

can alrededor de be used to say about for quantities? is there another way as im a bit confused


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## Bevj

Can you explain how this sentence is to be used, please?  I can't imagine anyone actually saying it.  Two is such a definite number that 'about two' doesn't work very well either in English or Spanish.


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## Magazine

HI dylan, I agree with Bev. It's not unusual to buy two carrots...but "_about_ two carrots", that sounds really odd. 

You might want to look for something like this: 

He always buys _*about *_half a kilo of carrots. 
Siempre compra *alrededor de/más o menos* medio kilo de zanahorias.


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## Cerros de Úbeda

dylanxkane said:


> Trying to say
> He buys *about* two carrots.



Really, in this case, more context would be helpful.


To me, it sounds like an emphasizer of how few some things may be. Of how little an amount is.

It is like a colloquial way to make a reproach...

I can imagine a context of the owner, or someone in a grocery shop saying that a customer looks at everything, asks a lot of questions and in the end buys 'about two carrots' (= like zilch, nought; 'about nothing'). That is, almost nothing.

That 'about', I would translate here as 'como'. Also, 'sólo', or 'nada más que'.

'Compra como dos zanahorias.'
'Compra sólo / nada más que dos zanahorias.'

Even with a negative emphasized with 'ni';

'No compra *ni* dos zanahorias.'


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## Circunflejo

...unas dos zanahorias.


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## dylanxkane

Bevj said:


> Can you explain how this sentence is to be used, please?  I can't imagine anyone actually saying it.  Two is such a definite number that 'about two' doesn't work very well either in English or Spanish.


The context is basically a shop keeper responding to a policeman, commenting on someone who brought something, the person believes that the person bought two carrots but it might have been 1 or 3, so he says "he bought about two carrots".


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## Cerros de Úbeda

dylanxkane said:


> the person believes that the person bought two carrots but it might have been 1 or 3, so he says "he bought about two carrots".



In that case, colloquialy, you sometimes hear;

- por ahí + cantidad
- como + cantidad
(sometimes used together, in order to indicate uncertainty or hesitation)

'Compró... No sé... Por ahí, como 2 zanahorias, diría yo.'


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## Circunflejo

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> In that case, colloquialy, you sometimes hear;
> 
> - por ahí + cantidad


Just _por ahí + cantidad_? I never heard it that way. In fact, the (default) meaning of _él compró por ahí 2 zanahorias_ would be he bought 2 carrots somewhere. On the other hand, I've heard, for example,_ cantidad + o por ahí _or _modifier (unas/como...) + cantidad + por ahí, por ahí._


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## gengo

dylanxkane said:


> The context is basically a shop keeper responding to a policeman, commenting on someone who brought something, the person believes that the person bought two carrots but it might have been 1 or 3, so he says "he bought about two carrots".



I still can't imagine a native speaker saying that.  It just sounds weird.  I would say "He bought a couple of carrots," where couple implies imprecision in number.  I believe the same applies to "un par de" in Spanish.

I just checked WR, and it confirms my hunch.




*a couple* _n__informal_ (a few)un par _nm_  dos o tres _expr_ I can't reach the potato chips; could you hand me a couple? Pásame un par de patatas fritas, por favor. Pásame dos o tres patatas fritas, por favor.


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## Circunflejo

gengo said:


> couple implies imprecision in number. I believe the same applies to "un par de" in Spanish.


I don't think so. Un par de X=2 X in Spanish.


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## gengo

Circunflejo said:


> I don't think so. Un par de X=2 X in Spanish.



Hmmm, so the WR entry is incorrect?  I feel sure I've heard natives use "un par de" in the sense of "unos pocos," but maybe I'm wrong.  I am, however, certain about the English.


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## Circunflejo

gengo said:


> so the WR entry is incorrect?


Well, 2 o 3 is perfectly fine. For me, the default meaning of _un par de_ would always be 2 X. Maybe in a specific context and with a specific intonation I may consider the option that you quote but there's no way I could consider it a good option to translate a written text. In the specific case of the OP, I stick to my translation in 5.


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## Ballenero

In order to indicate uncertainty or hesitation:

verb
+
_unas dos/ como dos/ un par de_
+
noun
+
_o así/ o por ahí/ o tres_


You can match them at your choice.


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## Masood

Circunflejo said:


> I don't think so. Un par de X=2 X in Spanish.


So, is 'par' literally a pair (two) and no other small amount? I sometimes use 'un par de' to mean 'a few'.


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## Saúl Ortega

Para mí «un par» *NO* expresa exactamente «dos».

Y me sorprende que no todos lo vean así... Para mí siempre ha sido bastante obvio que «un par» no expresa exactamente dos... hasta hoy...   

Esto tiene pinta de derivar en un hilo aparte en Sólo español...


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## Mr.Dent

I wouldn't say " He buys *about* two carrots.". I would say:
He buys around two carrots. 
He buys two or so carrots.
He buys two or three carrots.
He buys one, two or maybe three carrots.


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## elprofe

Para mí, "un par" tampoco expresa exactamente 2.
Por ejemplo:
_Espera un par de minutos a ver si se soluciona
Ven, que te voy a decir un par de cosas
Conozco un par de personas que pueden estar interesadas en esto_

En cuanto a la oración del hilo, diría algo como:
_Compró como dos zanahorias
Compró dos zanahorias o algo así
Compró dos zanahorias o por ahí
Compró unas dos zanahorias_


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## Lyrica_Soundbite

Concuerdo con todo lo que dice Elprofe en #17. En el contexto dado, si al policía el vendedor le dice "Compró un par de zanahorias", el policía entiende que el comerciante quiso decir "unas pocas zanahorias" o "exactamente dos zanahorias", y que el comerciante eligió precisamente decir "un par de zanahorias" porque no se acuerda si eras dos o tres; de otro modo habría dicho la cantidad exacta.
Desde ya me parecen también bien las posibles traducciones que dio, yo personalmente diría "compró como dos zanahorias".


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## Cerros de Úbeda

gengo said:


> I feel sure I've heard natives use "un par de" in the sense of "unos pocos,".



Indeed. It is very common - as has already been shown across this thread.

Just 'a couple' of examples;

'Voy a pasar un par de horas leyendo este libro que acabo de comprar. Te llamo por la tarde.'

'Vamos a tomar un par de vinos, y charlamos un rato.'

It's obvious that here 'un par' doesn't mean 'two', but 'a few', 'some', 'a couple', or 'several'.


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## elroy

Mr.Dent said:


> He buys around two carrots.


 To me this sounds just as bad as, if not worse than, “about two carrots.”


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## franzjekill

Siendo una cantidad tan pequeña, no me resulta natural decir "compró como dos zanahorias". Si la cantidad fuera mayor, no tendría problema en decirlo. Si fuera yo el comerciante le diría al policía "compro unas dos zanahorias, más o menos...". Tal vez sea regional el "unas" para denotar imprecisión.


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## jilar

Para reflejar la imprecisión se puede decir:
... unas cuantas zanahorias.

Ahí la cantidad no es importante, pueden ser 2, 3, 10, 100, ...

Si queremos expresar que fue poca cantidad, pero manteniendo la imprecisión, podemos decir:
... unas pocas zanahorias.


Y sí, "un par de zanahorias" puede interpretarse como "exactamente dos" o bien "unas cuantas". A veces la situación es obvia y tanto el emisor como el receptor lo entienden igual. Otras, quizá, haya confusión.

Este último caso le pasó a mi padre y mi hermano, que recuerdo haberlo comentado con ellos.
Mi padre le pidió "dame un par de puntas" (quería 2 exactamente), y mi hermano interpretó "unas cuantas/pocas" y según recuerdo le dio tres o cuatro puntas.


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## sound shift

dylanxkane said:


> The context is basically a shop keeper responding to a policeman, commenting on someone who brought something, the person believes that the person bought two carrots but it might have been 1 or 3, so he says "he bought about two carrots".





elroy said:


> To me this sounds just as bad as, if not worse than, “about two carrots.”


I agree that neither of those sounds right for dylanxkane's scenario. If I were the shopkeeper, I would say, "He bought two or three carrots" (which in BrE is vague and not necessarily to be understood literally) or "He bought a couple of carrots."


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## elroy

This is a case where “like” — vehemently shunned by many purists as a useless filler — would work very well and achieve the desired function without being contrived.

_He bought like two carrots._

That’s probably what I would say.


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## jilar

Se me olvidaba:

Si quieres reflejar el número dos puedes decir:
...unas/como dos zanahorias (o así).


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## Circunflejo

Masood said:


> is 'par' literally a pair (two) and no other small amount?


As I said on 12, depending on context and intonation, it may mean a small amount. However, in the case of the OP, that wouldn't be the default meaning but an odd one. Every single time that I go to the fruit store and I ask for _un par de zanahorias/manzanas/lechugas..._, the fruiterer gives me 2 zanahorias/manzanas/lechugas... I'm yet to find a fruiterer that gives me 3 because _un par de_ doesn't mean 2 but something close to it. The same applies to other contexts. If you go to a shoe store and you ask for _un par de zapatos_, it would be astonishing that you were given anything other than a pair of shoes (one for your right foot and another one for your left one). On the other hand, in contexts like the one on the first example provided by @elprofe in 17, the default meaning would be a small amount of minutes although the literal meaning is always an option too. Other contexts aren't clear. For example the ones quoted by @Cerros de Úbeda in 19 are obvious for him but not (that) obvious for me.


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## michelmontescuba

Concuerdo en que con la excepción del par de zapatos, la frase "un par" casi siempre admite algún nivel de ambigüedad dependiendo del contexto y la entonación y no siempre va a ser interpretada de la misma manera por ambos interlocutores.


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## Richard Dick

gengo said:


> Hmmm, so the WR entry is incorrect?  I feel sure I've heard natives use "un par de" in the sense of "unos pocos," but maybe I'm wrong.  I am, however, certain about the English.


Se entiende más "un par" que "unos/unas cuantos/cuantas.


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Circunflejo said:


> Every single time that I go to the fruit store and I ask for _un par de zanahorias/manzanas/lechugas..._, the fruiterer gives me 2 zanahorias/manzanas/lechugas...




That's just because you are mixing 'apples and oranges', here, as it were, by mentioning 'carrots' - a produce normally bought by weight, not as units -, with these two other items, 'apples' and 'lettuces', that are always bought as per units...

If, however, you mentioned other smaller items, such as strawberries or olives, your good old fruiterer would surely give you 'a spoonful', or 'a bunch' - Or be wise enough to ask you exactly how much, weigh them for you, and offer you '100 grammes', 'a pound', 'half a pound', or whatever...

The moral of the story, I guess...; when ordering fruit, best ask for a definite amount.

Same thing happens with the shoes example. It's because they are usually sold individually - for 'one person', I mean... Not really as a bunch.


More to the point, though... I could mention a whole lot of colloquial expressions where 'un par' is used with an indefinite sense that has nothing to do with 'precisely two', nor even with indefiniteness (and referenced as 'unas', 'algunas' (= 'a few' / 'a little'), or 'varias'), but rather with abundance (indicated with references such as 'a lot', 'quite a / an awful lot', or 'a hell of a lot'), such as;

- Echarle un par (de pelotas / huevos / cojones)
(= muchos / un montón de pelotas)
(= mucho / un montón de valor)

- ¡Con un par!
(= con decisión; con generosidad, sin cortarse)

- Hace un par de días / Un par de días antes
(= Unos / algunos días)

- Darle un par de hostias (a alguien)
(= Darle una gran paliza; darle abundantes o intensos golpes (a alguien))


Here's a nice little link from 'Interglot':

*(*) Interglot
- Un par de*
(cierta, algún, unos, algo, un poco, algo de, alguna cosa, poco)

certain, Adj
a few, Adj
some, Mod
a couple of, Adj
Translate 'un par de' from Spanish to English


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## michelmontescuba

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> - Echarle un par (de pelotas / huevos / cojones)
> (= muchos / un montón de pelotas)


No creo que esta frase se refiera a cantidad en lo absoluto, sino que transmite una idea general de ponerle valor, coraje o ganas a algo. Por otro lado, si fuéramos al sentido estricto, no cro que podamos ponerle más de dos, cojones/pelotas/huevos, a menos que seamos una especie de mutante.🤣


Cerros de Úbeda said:


> - Hace un par de días / Un par de días antes
> (= Unos / algunos días)


Este caso en mi opinión puede interpretarse perfectamente como dos días, nunca como uno y quizá como más de dos.


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## Circunflejo

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> That's just because you are mixing 'apples and oranges', here, as it were, by mentioning 'carrots' - a produce normally bought by weight, not as units -, with these two other items, 'apples' and 'lettuces', that are always bought as per units...


I do buy carrots by units at the fruit store and, on the other hand, I do know people that buys apples by weight (not my case, but I've seen it). It's not as set in stone as you present it. Anyway, I can guarantee you that every single time that I requested _un par de zanahorias_ I was given 2 carrots.



Cerros de Úbeda said:


> If, however, you mentioned other smaller items, such as strawberries or olives, your fruiterer would surely give you 'a spoonful', or 'a bunch'.
> 
> Or be wise enough to ask you exactly how much, weigh them for you, and offer you '100 grammes', 'a pound', 'half a pound', or whatever...


Not really. It happened once and the fruiterer answered me ¿solo dos? (just two?).


Cerros de Úbeda said:


> The moral of the story, I guess; when ordering fruit, best ask for a definite amount.


_Un par de_ is a definite amount... except for people like you that don't want to see it that way. But I can say that I use _un par de_ a lot and I'm yet to find a fruiterer sharing your point of view... and your point of view is advantageous for them... but to no avail! Maybe my intonation plays a role too, though.



Cerros de Úbeda said:


> More to the point, though... I could mention a whole lot of colloquial expressions where 'un par' is used with an indefinite sense that has nothing to do with 'precisely two', nor even with 'unas', 'algunas' (= 'a few' / 'a little'), or 'varias', but rather with 'a lot', 'an awful lot', or 'a hell of a lot'


On this thread the question was about carrots so any other usages aren't really more to the point. In fact, they could be even off-topic because the thread question wasn't about the usage of _un par de_ but about the translation of about two carrots.


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## Cerros de Úbeda

michelmontescuba said:


> No creo que esta frase se refiera a cantidad en *lo* absoluto



Esa era la idea general que veníamos debatiendo a lo largo de todo este hilo, si no recuerdo mal...



michelmontescuba said:


> Por otro lado, si fuéramos al sentido estricto,



No se trata de 'sentido estricto' de ningún tipo, sino 'literal', que no es precisamente lo mismo...

Como dije, es entender lo que no corresponde... Tomar 'peras por manzanas...', por extender la metáfora del bueno de Circunflejo.



michelmontescuba said:


> Por otro lado, si fuéramos al sentido estricto, *no cro* que podamos *ponerle made* de dos, cojones/pelotas/huevos



No entiendo... ¿Se trata de ese lenguaje del 'mutante' al que te referías antes...?


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Circunflejo said:


> _Un par de_ is a definite amount... except for people like you that don't want to see it that way. But I can say that I use _un par de_ a lot and I'm yet to find a fruiterer sharing your point of view...



Circunflejo, I don't know what to say, really...

I think you often make a too literal interpretation things... As in this case, with the phrase 'un par de'. That way, nothing can ever make sense, as most expressions do have a figurative meaning...

There's been plenty of people across this thread who have insisted on that point. I think it should be abundantly clear by now. Bye, now.


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## michelmontescuba

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> No entiendo... ¿Se trata de ese lenguaje mutante al que te referías...?


Si te fijas en mi publicación te darás cuenta de que ya había editado el texto y subsanado los errores tipográficos antes de tu publicación



Cerros de Úbeda said:


> No se trata de sentido estricto, sino 'literal', que no es precisamente lo mismo...


No veo, por qué no puedo decir "estricto" en este caso, quizá tú me lo puedas explicar.


Cerros de Úbeda said:


> Esa era la idea general que veníamos debatiendo a lo largo de todo este hilo, si no recuerdo mal...


La idea que se debate es si "un par" significa dos o más de dos, pero tu ejemplo no se refiere a cantidad específica, no podemos ponerle dos o tres "corajes" a algo. Es a eso a lo que me refería.


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## Lyrica_Soundbite

Si sirve de algo, yo trabajé en una verdulería, y nunca nadie me pidió un par de nada; la gente me pedía por peso o por cantidad de unidades (las cuales yo igualmente tenía que pesar porque salvo dos o tres productos - paltas, cabezas de ajo, melones-, el resto se vendía estrictamente por peso). La cosa es que por acá es raro escuchar en cualquier negocio que alguien pida un par de algo que no sean cosas que van de a pares como zapatos o guantes. Por eso lo de "compró un par de zanahorias" me suena ambiguo. Igual, sigo prefieriendo como traducción "compró como dos zanahorias".


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## Circunflejo

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> That way, nothing can ever make sense, as most expressions do have a figurative meaning...


...in the right context. I mean context matters to know if the meaning is the literal one or the figurative one. It's pretty obvious that we don't agree on the default meaning (literal or figurative) in the OP's case as well as it's pretty obvious that we aren't going to change our minds.


Cerros de Úbeda said:


> There's been plenty of people across this thread who have insisted on that point. I think it should be abundantly clear by now.


It's abundantly clear that some users consider un par de lacks a default meaning in the specific context of the OP, other user considers (based on personal experience) that the default meaning of _un par de_ in the context of the OP would be the literal one and other user (or users, although you were the only one that explicitly made reference to the specific case of the OP) consider that the default meaning on that context would be the figurative one. Therefore I guess the conclusion is that there's nothing abudantly clear about it what it's a good enough reason to disregard the option of translating _about two carrots_ as _un par de zanahorias_.


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## Ballenero

Mi respuesta al PO está en #13.

Sobre el debate acerca de un par.
En principio, un par = 2.

Después, sí puede haber situaciones en las que un par sea un número indeterminado.
Pero la persona que dice eso, lo hace con una intención, ya sea porque no quiere ser preciso o porque no puede.
Esa persona intenta minimizar la cantidad porque le interesa.
Ejemplos:
_Tendrá que esperar un par de minutos._
El que dice esto no quiere que el que espera se impaciente y por eso le da un tiempo impreciso pero breve.
_Tenía que hacer un par de cosas._
Aquí al orador no le interesa contar lo que ha estado haciendo.
_Nos tomamos un par de vinos._
En esta, es obvio que no va a decir el número exacto de vinos que se tomaron.

Por otro lado, en la de:
_Te cojo un par de patatas_ y va 
y coge tres, ¿cuántas veces habremos escuchado? (sobre todo, los niños):
¡Eh, habías dicho un par!


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## swift

Aquí hay un hilo del foro Sólo Español: un par (cantidad indeterminada).

Para mí está claro que —en el uso general— “un par” rara vez significa exactamente “dos unidades”.


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## dylanxkane

Ballenero said:


> In order to indicate uncertainty or hesitation:
> 
> verb
> +
> _unas dos/ como dos/ un par de_
> +
> noun
> +
> _o así/ o por ahí/ o tres_
> 
> 
> You can match them at your choice.


Awesome, this is what I was looking for! 
How do you correctly use the "unas dos" form?
Is this correct?
He buys *about* one carrot. -> Él compra *unas* una zanahoria.
He buys *about* two carrots. -> Él compra *unas* dos zanahorias.
He buys *about* one peach. -> Él compra *unos* un melocotón.
He buys *about* two peaches. -> Él compra *unos* dos melocotones.


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## elprofe

dylanxkane said:


> Awesome, this is what I was looking for!
> How do you correctly use the "unas dos" form?
> Is this correct?
> He buys *about* one carrot. -> Él compra *unas* una zanahoria.
> He buys *about* two carrots. -> Él compra *unas* dos zanahorias.
> He buys *about* one peach. -> Él compra *unos* un melocotón.
> He buys *about* two peaches. -> Él compra *unos* dos melocotones.



No puedes usar "unas" con "un/una"


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## gengo

elprofe said:


> No puedes usar "unas" con "un/una"



Nor would anyone ever say "He buys about one carrot."  In fact, I can't imagine ever using "about one" in the context of counting things.  We would say "He buys a carrot or two."


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## dylanxkane

elprofe said:


> No puedes usar "unas" con "un/una"


Thank you, could you replace "zanahorias" with grams or kilograms or any other weight quantity and if I use a feminine weight would it require unas?


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## dylanxkane

Ballenero said:


> In order to indicate uncertainty or hesitation:
> 
> verb
> +
> _unas dos/ como dos/ un par de_
> +
> noun
> +
> _o así/ o por ahí/ o tres_
> 
> 
> You can match them at your choice.


Could you use the "como" construction with weights and measurements as well?


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## elprofe

dylanxkane said:


> Thank you, could you replace "zanahorias" with grams or kilograms or any other weight quantity and if I use a feminine weight would it require unas?



1. Yes
_Compró unos (cuantos) kilos de arroz
He adelgazado unos (cuantos) gramos, pero no se me nota aún._

2. Yes
_Ese elefante debe pesar unas (cuantas) toneladas_

Hay otras unidades de masa que son femeninas en castellano (libras, onzas...) pero no se usan en España, por lo que "toneladas" es la única unidad de medida femenina que puede ser útil por España.


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## elprofe

dylanxkane said:


> Could you use the "como" construction with weights and measurements as well?



Hmm you can use "como" with weights and measurements as long as "como" modifies a specific number.
_Pesa como 5 kilos
Pesa unos 5 kilos
Pesa alrededor de 5 kilos
Pesa más o menos 5 kilos
Pesa 5 kilos o así
Pesa 5 kilos uno arriba uno abajo
Pesa 5 kilos o por ahí

Pesa como unos kilos  
Nos quedan como unos metros para llegar _

Yo al menos no lo considero "Español estándar", o al menos no algo que recomiendaría aprender. Creo que lo consideraría un "slip of the tongue", aunque puede que haya gente que lo vea un poco más aceptable que yo.

Por ejemplo
_"Pesa como unos kilos más que el otro"_ no me suena taaan mal


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## gato radioso

gengo said:


> Hmmm, so the WR entry is incorrect?  I feel sure I've heard natives use "un par de" in the sense of "unos pocos," but maybe I'm wrong.  I am, however, certain about the English.


You're perfectly right:
"Un par" have both meanings:
a) Two units of something in a literal meaning.
b) A few units of something, when you want a vague connotation...because saying the exact number doesn't matter much in fact. E.g.: _El médico me dijo que estuviera en cama un par de días. _"Un par..."or "tres o cuatro" is much more common than saying "Unos pocos/cuantos", at least in colloquial speech.


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## Magazine

Saúl Ortega said:


> Para mí «un par» *NO* expresa exactamente «dos».


Estoy de acuerdo, claro que no significa solo dos. tengo un par de amigos que solo ven pelis...unos cuantos amigos que solo beben cerveza....un par de amigas....

Ahora, decir un par de zanahorias es raro ...to say the least. Compró dos zanahorias sería lo suyo.


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## jilar

Magazine said:


> Estoy de acuerdo, claro que no significa solo dos. ...
> ...un par de amigas...



O estaríamos frente algún tipo de mutante como en la película de Desafío Total (Total Recall), que sale una con tres pechos. 

Esto último es como con cosas que se dan por sentadas que se componen de dos elementos. Como ya comentaron por ejemplo sobre un par de zapatos.

nota de moderador: borrado parte del comentario porque los moderadores lo hemos considerado off-topic --franzjekill--


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## gengo

Magazine said:


> Ahora, decir un par de zanahorias es raro ...to say the least. Compró dos zanahorias sería lo suyo.



Usually, yes, and the same applies in English.  But let's remember the original context here, which is a greengrocer telling a police officer about a customer who bought a small number of carrots.  He doesn't want to use an exact number, because the true number is unknown.  The OP is asking how to express that idea of uncertainty, so "Compró dos zanahorias" doesn't answer that question.

I'm sorry to have provoked such a controversy with my suggestion of "un par de zanahorias" (in #9), but it's been interesting reading the replies.


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