un de
The French phrase for "one of" is un de.
un de is used to refer to a single person or thing from a larger group.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the phrase changes based on gender and the following word. If the person or thing being referred to is feminine, use une de. When you are referring to "one of the [plural noun]", use un des for masculine nouns or une des for feminine nouns. In formal contexts, if un de precedes a word starting with a vowel or a silent 'h', it often becomes l'un de to avoid a hiatus.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When the subject being referred to is feminine, ensure you change un de to une de. Failing to make this change is a common grammatical error.
Did you know?
- In very formal writing, the phrase l'un et l'autre is used to mean 'both', literally translating to 'one and the other'.
- French often uses the pronoun on to mean 'one' in a general sense. While un de refers to a specific individual in a group, on refers to people in general.
- The word un is a distant relative of the English word 'one'. Both trace their roots back to the Proto-Indo-European word *h₁óynos.
Examples in context
- L'un de vous ment.One of you is lying.This sentence shows how to use un de when referring to a person in a group.Tatoeba #3435180 by Rovo, translation #3434009 by AlanF_US
- Tu es un des nôtres.You are one of us.This sentence demonstrates the use of un de to identify someone as part of a group.Tatoeba #4488605 by VisionElf, translation #2892983 by CK
- C'est un de ceux-là.It's one of those.This sentence illustrates how to use un de to pick out one item from a group.Tatoeba #7686655 by Maxence, translation #3168214 by CK
- Il est l'un des meilleurs étudiants de sa classe.He is one of the best students in his class.
- C'est un des plus grands monuments de Paris.It is one of the largest monuments in Paris.
- Parmi les candidats, il est l'un des plus qualifiés.Among the candidates, he is one of the most qualified.
- C'est l'un des projets les plus ambitieux de notre entreprise.It's one of the most ambitious projects of our company.
- Elle est l'une des joueuses les plus talentueuses de son équipe.She is one of the most talented players on her team.
- 466 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are discussing their favorite books.
- LéaC'est un de mes livres préférés.It is one of my favorite books.
- NathanAh bon ? Je ne l'ai jamais lu.Really? I have never read it.
- LéaC'est un des meilleurs romans français.It is one of the best French novels.
- NathanJe vais le lire ce week-end.I will read it this weekend.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
