🇩🇪 How to Say "One of" in German – A Grammar Guide with Examples

If you've ever tried to say something like "one of my friends" or "one of the best books" in German, you may have realised that the structure isn't quite as straightforward as in English. In German, "one of" is typically expressed using the phrase „einer von“ / „eine von“ / „eines von“, and it requires an understanding of gender, case, and word order.

In this post, you'll learn:

• How to form “one of…” in German

• When to use einer, eine, or eines

• How to combine it with pronouns and nouns

• Common structures and expressions

• A variety of real-life examples

🧠 The Basic Structure

In English:"One of my friends"In German:✅ „Einer meiner Freunde“ (masculine plural)

So, the full structure is:

einer / eine / eines + [genitive plural noun or pronoun]

This means you must:

1. Choose the correct form of "one" based on gender and case

2. Follow it with the genitive plural (often with possessive pronouns like mein, dein, ihr)

👥 Forms of "One" in German

Gender of the noun group	"One of…" Form
Masculine plural	einer von / einer meiner
Feminine plural	eine von / eine meiner
Neuter plural	eines von / eines meiner

💡 Note: In practice, einer is often used generically for people, even when gender isn't the focus.

🔍 Examples with Explanations

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 1. One of my friends

✅ Einer meiner Freunde

Einer meiner Freunde wohnt in Berlin.(One of my friends lives in Berlin.)

• Freunde is plural and masculine

• mein becomes meiner in the genitive plural

👩 2. One of my teachers (female)

✅ Eine meiner Lehrerinnen

Eine meiner Lehrerinnen ist sehr streng.(One of my teachers is very strict.)

• Lehrerinnen is feminine plural

• We use eine and meiner

📘 3. One of the best books

✅ Eines der besten Bücher

„Der Vorleser“ ist eines der besten Bücher, das ich gelesen habe.(“The Reader” is one of the best books I've read.)

• Bücher is neuter plural

• das beste Buch becomes der besten Bücher in the genitive plural

🧾 Using “einer von” with Proper Nouns or Groups

Sometimes you'll use “einer von” with names of countries, cities, or groups.

Examples:

• Berlin ist eine von Deutschlands größten Städten.(Berlin is one of Germany’s largest cities.)

• Er ist einer von uns.(He is one of us.)

• Sie ist eine von den wenigen, die die Prüfung bestanden haben.(She is one of the few who passed the exam.)

🧑‍🏫 "One of the people who…" – Sentence Construction

In English:"He is one of the people who always help."

In German:

✅ Er ist einer der Menschen, die immer helfen.

Here:

• Menschen (people) = plural noun

• einer der Menschen = one of the people

• Relative clause follows with plural verb → die … helfen

⚠️ Common mistake: Using hilft instead of helfen — the verb refers to die Menschen (not er)

🔁 “One of the only…” / “One of the few…”

These constructions work similarly in German:

• Er war einer der wenigen, die protestiert haben.(He was one of the few who protested.)

• Sie war eine der einzigen, die pünktlich waren.(She was one of the only ones who were on time.)

📝 Summary of Key Grammar Points

English	German	Notes
one of my friends	einer meiner Freunde	masculine plural, genitive
one of my favourite books	eines meiner Lieblingsbücher	neuter plural, genitive
one of the few people	einer der wenigen Menschen	noun in genitive plural
one of them	einer von ihnen	pronoun used with "von"
one of us	einer von uns	common expression
one of Germany's biggest cities	eine von Deutschlands größten Städten	genitive construction with proper noun

✨ Bonus Expressions

• Einer nach dem anderen – one after the other

• einer von vielen – one of many

• einer der Gründe, warum… – one of the reasons why…

• Sie ist eine von denen, die immer helfen. – She is one of those who always help.

• Ich bin einer von wenigen, die das geschafft haben. – I’m one of the few who managed that.

📚 Practice Sentences

Try translating the following into German:

1. One of my cousins lives in Munich.

2. She is one of the most talented students in the class.

3. That was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.

4. He is one of those people who never complain.

5. One of our neighbours is moving out.

Would you like the answers in a follow-up post or printable worksheet?

🎓 Need Help With Grammar?

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