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- "He is one of my best friends…
"He is one of my best friends."
Translation:Lui è uno dei miei migliori amici.
July 18, 2013
16 Comments
sharkbbb
1924
Superlatives (such as "best") require a definite article in Italian, because without it they are just comparatives (such as "better"):
- migliori amici = better friends
- i migliori amici = (the) best friends
In this case dei is the equivalent of di+i.
AnthonyJan4
330
Also, it's a possessive, which requires a definitive article as well.
So, there are actually two reasons for the article.
sharkbbb
1924
When used alone it is always uno or una. When used before a noun phrase it changes similarly to the definite article:
- uno (masculine before s+consonant, gn, pn, ps, x, z, i+vowel, y+vowel)
- un (masculine before a vowel or another consonant)
- un' (feminine before a vowel)
- una (feminine before a consonant)
AnthonyJan4
330
In this case, consider "uno" as standing by itself, separate from the noun phrase, as per sharkbbb's answer. Here, it's part of the phrase "one of" and not really attached to the noun itself.