Los frutos

Question

My dictionary says fruit (the plant) is la fruta. Why is the sentence -Los frutos rojos  and not las frutas rojas ?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Sarah E.
In Spanish, “la fruta” usually refers to fruit in general, or fruit as food (e.g. apples, oranges, bananas).
“El fruto / los frutos” is a bit broader: it can mean the product of a plant, not only edible fruit, but also seeds or nuts. It is also often used in a more figurative sense (e.g. los frutos de tu trabajo = “the fruits of your work”).
So in the expression “los frutos rojos”, Spanish tends to use frutos rather than frutas to refer to berries (like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries). It’s more idiomatic and a little more formal.
Both words exist, but in this context, frutos is the natural choice in Spanish.
Feliz semana
Silvia