unter uns
/ˈʊntɐ ʊns/word by word
The German phrase for "among us" is unter uns.
unter uns is used to describe being in the company of or within a specific group of people. While the word unter can mean "under" in a positional sense (directly below something), when used in the context of a group of people, it translates to "among" or "amidst".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition unter (under/among) and the pronoun uns (us).
How does it change in a sentence?
In this context, the preposition unter takes the dative case. Although the pronoun uns looks the same in both the accusative and dative forms, it is functioning dative here.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʊntɐ ʊns/
Did you know?
- While unter uns can mean 'among us', placing it at the start of a sentence can signal that the speaker is about to share a private opinion.
- A common German idiom unter uns bleiben means to keep a secret within a specific group of people.
- The German word unter is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'under', sharing the same Proto-Germanic root *undar.
Examples in context
- Sie sind unter uns!They are among us!This sentence shows how to say someone is among a group.Tatoeba #659746 by Esperantostern, translation #447193 by Clavain
- Unter uns ist ein Verräter.We have a traitor among us.This sentence is used to describe a traitor being among a group.Tatoeba #913738 by Sudajaengi, translation #23357 by CK
- Er ist der Beste unter uns.He is the best among us.This sentence demonstrates how to use the phrase to compare someone within a group.Tatoeba #2790430 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #453067 by jerom
- Hast du schon "Among Us" gespielt?Have you played "Among Us" yet?
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Julia are discussing a secret at work.
- LukasDas bleibt unter uns, okay?That stays between us, okay?
- JuliaNatürlich, ich sage es niemandem.Of course, I won't tell anyone.
- LukasEs ist wichtig, dass es unter uns bleibt.It is important that it stays between us.
- JuliaDu kannst mir vertrauen, Lukas.You can trust me, Lukas.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (unter, uns) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries unter, unter uns, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
