solo uno
/solo uno/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'only one' is expressed as solo uno.
solo uno is used to indicate that there is a single item or person and no more.
Which one should you use?
While solo uno emphasizes the singularity of the item, únicamente uno is a more formal way to express the same restriction.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender with the noun it refers to. You should change solo uno to solo una when referring to feminine nouns. The adverbial form solamente uno can be used interchangeably with solo uno to mean 'only one'. Note that changing the singular uno to the plural unos in the phrase solo unos changes the meaning from 'only one' to 'only a few'.
How do you pronounce it?
/solo uno/
Did you know?
- The word uno is a distant relative of the Russian word один and the Greek word οἶος.
- The word solo in solo uno has a double life in Spanish, as it can act as both an adverb meaning 'only' and an adjective meaning 'alone'.
- The word solo in the phrase solo uno is a cognate of the English musical term 'solo', referring to a single performer.
Examples in context
- Hay mil enfermos, pero solo uno sano.There are a thousand diseases, but only one health.This sentence shows the use of solo uno to describe a single healthy person.Tatoeba #1508217 by marcelostockle, translation #13781414 by Adelpa
- Tom era solo uno de los tantos hijastros de María.Tom was only one of Mary's many stepchildren.This sentence demonstrates solo uno being used to identify one person among many.Tatoeba #1795000 by marcelostockle, translation #1092369 by CK
- De veinte estudiantes, solo uno ha leído el libro.Out of twenty students, only one has read the book.This sentence illustrates using solo uno to state that only one student out of a group has performed an action.Tatoeba #2667241 by teskmon, translation #2591195 by CK
- Necesito solo unoI need only one
- Hay únicamente uno disponibleThere is only one available
- Tenemos un único problemaWe have only one problem
- Solo tengo un lápiz, necesito otro.I only have one pencil, I need another one.
- Hay únicamente una persona en la salaThere is only one person in the room
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are looking at a collection of vintage pens.
- Alejandro¿Cuántos bolígrafos antiguos tienes?How many vintage pens do you have?
- SofíaTengo muchos, pero solo uno es de oro.I have many, but only one is gold.
- AlejandroEs un objeto muy bonito.It is a very beautiful object.
- SofíaGracias, es mi favorito.Thank you, it is my favorite.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries solo, uno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
