einer von
/aɪ̯nar fɔn/word by word
The German phrase for "one of" is einer von.
einer von is used to identify a single person or thing as part of a larger group.
How does it change in a sentence?
While einer von is common in spoken German, the more formal and grammatically standard way to say "one of the" is einer der followed by a genitive plural noun. When you want to say "one of them", you use einer von ihnen for masculine or mixed groups or eine von ihnen for feminine groups.
How do you pronounce it?
/aɪ̯nar fɔn/
Did you know?
- In high-society historical contexts, von was used as a nobiliary particle to indicate that someone was 'one of' the nobility from a specific estate.
- Using einer von instead of the genitive einer der is so common in speech that it has shifted from a regionalism to a standard feature of spoken German across all dialects.
- Because von is a preposition that can also mean 'of' or 'from', a clumsy sentence using einer von might occasionally sound like you are saying 'one from a specific location' instead of 'one of a group'.
Examples in context
- Einer von uns irrt.One of us is wrong.This sentence shows how to use einer von when referring to a group of people.Tatoeba #3481837 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1528336 by Cainntear
- Einer von euch lügt.One of you is lying.This sentence shows how to use einer von when addressing a group.Tatoeba #3444283 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3434009 by AlanF_US
- Tom war einer von uns.Tom was one of us.This sentence shows how to use einer von to describe someone who was part of a group.Tatoeba #3895648 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2648294 by CK
- Er ist einer der besten Ärzte im Krankenhaus.He is one of the best doctors in the hospital.
- Sie ist eine der klügsten Schülerinnen in der Klasse.She is one of the smartest students in the class.
- Er ist einer der besten Spieler in der Mannschaft.He is one of the best players on the team.
- Sie ist eine der bemerkenswertesten Künstlerinnen ihrer Generation.She is one of the most remarkable artists of her generation.
- Er ist einer von den coolsten Jungs in der Schule.He is one of the coolest guys at school.
- Sie ist eine von den besten Freundinnen, die ich je hatte.She is one of the best friends I've ever had.
- 94 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking about a project team in the office.
- JulianWar er einer von euch?Was he one of you?
- SarahNein, er war einer von den Entwicklern.No, he was one of the developers.
- JulianWar er einer von den besten?Was he one of the best?
- SarahJa, er war einer von den fähigsten Leuten.Yes, he was one of the most capable people.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (einer, von) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
