один

Numeral Один Agreement

Level 2Sounds Like čislívnik odin

Unlike most numbers, один (one) behaves like an adjective: it changes its form to match the noun's gender, number, and case. Crucially, the noun it modifies always stays in the singular form.

How It Works

The numeral один is unique in Ukrainian because it functions morphologically like a demonstrative pronoun or an adjective.

1. Full Agreement:
You must choose the form that matches the noun in gender, number, and case:

  • Masculine: один стіл (one table)
  • Feminine: одна книжка (one book)
  • Neuter: одне вікно (one window)
  • Plural: одні окуляри (one pair of glasses/only glasses)

2. Case and Number:
While numbers 2, 3, and 4 require the nominative plural, and 5+ require the genitive plural, один does not govern a specific case. Instead, it agrees with the noun. If the noun is in the accusative or dative, один changes accordingly (e.g., в одну книжку, одному студенту). The noun always remains in the singular.

3. Compound Numbers:
In compound numbers ending in one (like 21, 31, or 101), the final element один determines the agreement. For example: двадцять один студент (21 students). Note that the noun remains singular even though the total quantity is large!

4. Special Meanings:

  • Indefinite: Introduces a specific but unnamed person (e.g., 'A certain man told me...').
  • Exclusivity: Can mean 'alone' (Я був один - I was alone) or 'only' (Були одні дівчата - There were only girls).
  • Reciprocal: Used in the phrase 'each other' (один одного).

Examples (5)

  1. У мене є один брат і одна сестра.

    I have one brother and one sister.

    Word by Word: At me is one (masc.) brother and one (fem.) sister.

    Shows gender agreement: 'один' for the masculine 'брат' and 'одна' for the feminine 'сестра'.

  2. Ми купили двадцять один квиток.

    We bought twenty-one tickets.

    Word by Word: We bought twenty one (masc.) ticket (sing.).

    In compound numbers ending in 1, the noun stays in the nominative singular.

  3. Вона живе одна у цьому великому будинку.

    She lives alone in this big house.

    Word by Word: She lives one (fem.) in this big house.

    Here, 'одна' functions as 'alone', matching the feminine subject 'вона'.

  4. На столі лежать одні окуляри.

    There is only one pair of glasses on the table.

    Word by Word: On table lie one (plur.) glasses.

    The plural form 'одні' is used with 'pluralia tantum' nouns (words that are always plural).

  5. Вони допомагають один одному.

    They help each other.

    Word by Word: They help one another (dat.).

    Demonstrates the reciprocal use of 'один' in the dative case.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a plural noun after 'один' in compound numbers.

    двадцять один квитки
    двадцять один квиток

    Even if the total number is large (like 21), if it ends in 'один', the noun must be in the singular form.

  • Applying the 'one' rule to the number 11.

    одинадцять стіл
    одинадцять столів

    Numbers 11-19 are treated as single units and follow the rule for 5+ (genitive plural), not the rule for 'один'.

  • Using the masculine 'один' for all genders.

    один машина
    одна машина

    You must change the ending of 'один' to match the gender of the noun (машина is feminine).

How It Connects

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

одинLevel 2Numeral Один Agreement

Learn This First

To use the numeral 'один' correctly, a learner must first understand the concept of grammatical gender in Ukrainian nouns (masculine, feminine, and neuter), as this numeral functions like an adjective and must agree with the noun it modifies.

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один