un des
In French, 'one of the' is expressed as un des.
The phrase is used to identify a single person or thing from a larger group.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the phrase must agree with the gender of the noun it describes. Use un des for masculine nouns and change it to une des for feminine nouns. You may also encounter the forms l'un des or l'une des. The addition of the 'l' is used to avoid a hiatus, which is a clash of vowel sounds, especially when the phrase is preceded by a pronoun or a verb. Additionally, when you use 'one of the' followed by a relative clause, the verb in that clause is typically pluralized to agree with the group, such as in the phrase un des hommes qui sont venus (one of the men who came).
Did you know?
- The word un is a distant relative of the English word 'one', both tracing their roots back to the Proto-Indo-European word *h₁óynos.
- In certain formal or poetic contexts, l'un des can be used to create a rhythmic balance in a sentence, even when a hiatus is not strictly present.
Examples in context
- Un des gardes est mort.One of the guards is dead.This sentence demonstrates the use of un des to identify a single guard.Tatoeba #5369567 by Aiji, translation #3168195 by CK
- C'est l'un des meilleurs.He's one of the best.This sentence shows how un des identifies one person among the best.Tatoeba #1623747 by sacredceltic, translation #1619645 by Spamster
- Tom était un des chanceux.Tom was one of the lucky ones.This sentence illustrates how un des identifies one person among the lucky ones.Tatoeba #5116555 by gege_veggie, translation #5115796 by CK
- L'un des meilleurs restaurants de la ville.One of the best restaurants in town.
- Un des leaders mondiaux dans le domaine de la technologie.One of the world leaders in the field of technology.
- C'est un des trucs les plus difficiles à faire.It's one of the hardest things to do.
- Un des plus grands acteurs.One of the greatest actors.
- Une des meilleures solutions.One of the best solutions.
- Un des rares cas.One of the rare cases.
- 235 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa are talking about their favorite books.
- NathanCe livre est un des préférés de Nathan.This book is one of Nathan's favorites.
- LéaC'est vrai, l'histoire est vraiment passionnante.That's true, the story is really exciting.
- NathanEst-ce que c'est un des tiens aussi ?Is it one of yours too?
- LéaOui, je l'adore depuis longtemps.Yes, I have loved it for a long time.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries des, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
