unul dintre cei mai + Adjective

Unul Dintre Cei Mai

Level 4

Unul dintre cei mai... = One of the most...
This pattern selects one individual from a group that all share a superlative quality.

How It Works

This pattern selects one member of a group with a superlative quality.

Masculine: unul dintre cei mai buni medici (one of the best doctors).

Feminine: una dintre cele mai bune idei (one of the best ideas).

Neuter: unul dintre cele mai bune hoteluri (one of the best hotels). Singular unul uses the masculine-shaped form, while the neuter plural group uses cele and bune.

Main-verb agreement: The head unul/una is singular: Unul dintre cei mai buni medici a sosit. A later relative clause can have a different antecedent and its own agreement.

Case: Use unuia/uneia for genitive/dative: I-am scris uneia dintre cele mai bune prietene.

Comparative contrast: unul dintre medicii mai buni means 'one of the better doctors'. Removing cei without restructuring the phrase does not automatically produce that grammatical comparative.

Examples (4)

  1. El este unul dintre cei mai buni medici din oraș.

    He is one of the best doctors in the city.

    Word by Word: He is one among those more good doctors from city.

    Uses the masculine 'unul' and 'cei mai' to match the masculine noun 'medici'.

  2. Aceasta este una dintre cele mai frumoase cărți.

    This is one of the most beautiful books.

    Word by Word: This is one among those more beautiful books.

    Uses the feminine 'una' and 'cele mai' to match the feminine noun 'cărți'.

  3. Unul dintre cei mai mari scriitori a sosit.

    One of the greatest writers has arrived.

    Word by Word: One among those more great writers has arrived.

    Note the singular verb 'a sosit' agreeing with 'unul', despite the plural 'scriitori'.

  4. I-am dat premiul unuia dintre cei mai talentați elevi.

    I gave the prize to one of the most talented students.

    Word by Word: To-him I-have given prize to-one among those more talented students.

    Demonstrates the Genitive/Dative form 'unuia' while the rest of the superlative phrase remains unchanged.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the singular adjective after the plural noun.

    unul dintre cei mai bun medic
    unul dintre cei mai buni medici

    The adjective and noun must be plural because you are selecting one from a group of many 'best' individuals.

  • Gender mismatch between the pronoun and the article/noun.

    unul dintre cele mai bune idei
    una dintre cele mai bune idei

    'Idee' is feminine, so the head pronoun must be 'una' and the article must be 'cele'.

  • Omitting the demonstrative article 'cei/cele'.

    unul dintre mai buni medici
    unul dintre cei mai buni medici

    The superlative needs cei/cele in this pattern. A comparative requires a different phrase, such as unul dintre medicii mai buni ('one of the better doctors').

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

unul dintre cei mai + AdjectiveLevel 4Unul Dintre Cei Mai

Learn This First

To learn 'unul dintre cei mai', you must first understand how to form the relative superlative using 'cel/cei mai'. You also need to understand the partitive use of 'dintre' and how the numeral 'unu' changes form to 'unul' when used substantively and agreeing with the gender of the group.

Words in This Pattern

unuldintrecelmai