один з/одна з + Genitive Plural

One of with Genitive Plural

Level 4Sounds Like odin z/odna z + rodovij množini

один/одна/одне (one) + з/із/зі (of) + Genitive Plural (the group)

How It Works

The construction один з is the standard way to express 'one of' in Ukrainian. It consists of three parts:

1. The Numeral: You must choose the form of один that matches the gender of the specific entity you are selecting, not necessarily the grammatical gender of the group noun (e.g., одна з дітей - one [female] of the children):

  • Один (masculine): один із друзів (one of the friends)
  • Одна (feminine): одна з книжок (one of the books)
  • Одне/Одно (neuter): одне з вікон (one of the windows)

2. The Preposition: The choice between з, із, and зі follows euphony rules. Use зі if the following word starts with a consonant cluster beginning with a sibilant (з, с, ц, ч, ш, щ), such as зі школи. Use із primarily between two consonants or before a sibilant followed by a vowel (e.g., один із студентів).

3. The Case: The group from which you are selecting must always be in the Genitive Plural. This is a partitive genitive function.

At advanced levels, this pattern is frequently used with the superlative degree to highlight an exceptional individual (e.g., 'one of the best').

Examples (4)

  1. Один із моїх колег розмовляє японською.

    One of my colleagues speaks Japanese.

    Word by Word: One from my colleagues speaks Japanese.

    Here, 'один' is masculine to match 'колега' (colleague), and 'із' is used for better sound before the consonant cluster.

  2. Це була одна з найкращих подорожей у моєму житті.

    This was one of the best trips in my life.

    Word by Word: This was one from best trips in my life.

    The feminine 'одна' matches 'подорож' (trip), and the group is in the genitive plural.

  3. Одне з цих питань дуже складне.

    One of these questions is very difficult.

    Word by Word: One from these questions very difficult.

    The neuter 'одне' is used because 'питання' (question) is a neuter noun.

  4. Він один із тих, хто завжди допомагає.

    He is one of those who always helps.

    Word by Word: He one from those, who always helps.

    This shows the pattern used with a demonstrative pronoun in a relative clause.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong gender for 'один' based on the group's grammatical gender.

    Один із дівчат прийшов пізно.
    Одна з дівчат прийшла пізно.

    Even though 'один' is the default numeral, you must use 'одна' because you are referring to one female from the group of girls.

  • Using the nominative plural instead of the genitive plural for the group.

    Один із студенти знає відповідь.
    Один із студентів знає відповідь.

    The preposition 'з' in this partitive sense strictly requires the genitive case.

How It Connects

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

один з/одна з + Genitive PluralLevel 4One of with Genitive Plural

Learn This First

To use this construction, you need to understand how the numeral 'один' changes for gender (один, одна, одне) and how to form the Genitive Plural of nouns to represent the group being selected from.

Words in This Pattern

одинз