parmi / entre

S

Silvi

Senior Member
Spain-Spanish
The difference between=entre / among=parmi :confused: ?

Moderator note: Multiple threads merged to create this one.
 
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    • There is not always a one-to-one correspondence between between=entre / among(st)=parmi, but I'm afraid I can't remember a single example of a mismatch. I know that when I was studying French at school/uni a few times I translated it directly, and had it marked wrong with the other form suggested.

    I know that's not very helpful without examples.:eek:
     
    Hi! Sometimes we say "parmi eux", sometimes we say "d'entre eux", so I was just wondering when do we say each? Sorry for the absence of context, as I would like to know when to apply it in what context...?

    Hope my question is clear, thanks!

    On dit "Les malchanceux d'entre eux" ou "parmi eux" et pourquoi?

    Merci!
     
    Bonjour,

    Je ne sais pas si je dois utiliser "parmi" ou "entre" pour "among" dans la phrase suivante:

    "Even though he was against the theater and against Moliere's plays in particular, Rousseau nevertheless encouraged dancing among young people."

    "Bien qu'il soit contre le théâtre et contre les pièces de Molière en particulier, Rousseau encourageait néanmoins la danse entre/parmi les jeunes gens."

    Merci en advance!
     
    Pour beaucoup d'entre eux，le dejeuner，c'est un sandwich.
    Est-ce que on peut dire "Pour beaucoup parmi eux, ..... " ? Pourquoi?
    Merci
     
    les deux m'ont l'air corrects

    mais je ne dirai que
    Pour beaucoup d'entre eux, le déjeuner, c'est un sandwich.

    mais
    Parmi eux, deux ne prirent qu'un sandwich...
     
    Though this thread is very old, in case someone else needs the answer, I've found a French grammar in Google books that says this:

    original text:
    "Entre s'emploie quand il n'est question que de deux: entre ses mains, entre ses bras, entre lui et moi.
    "Parmi se dit d'une collection d'objets et demande toujours après lui soit un substantif pluriel, soit un nom collectif: parmi les hommes, parmi le monde... Parmi demande toujours un pluriel ou un nom collectif.
    "Il est des cas où l'on peut faire indifféremment usage de entre ou de parmi quand le complément est un pluriel.."

    "Entre is used when there is question of two: between his hands, between his arms, between him and me.
    "Parmi is used with a collection of objects and always demands after it a plural noun or a collective noun: among men, in the world ...
    "Parmi always requires a plural or collective nouns.
    "There are cases where one can use either entre or parmi when the complement is a plural.."

    Source: Grammaire Nationale par Louis Nicolas Bescherelle in Google Books
     
    I think the trouble is that there are also cases where there are more than 2 people/things involved and you cannot use either "entre" or "parmi", one or the other is correct in that context not both. It's still not a question that I fully know the answer of since the question was first asked 5 odd years ago!:)

    Your dictionary extract says that if two things are mentioned you need "entre" (although it can be used if more than two things are involved too), and if "parmi" is used then there must be more than two, but does not address the question of which of them is needed when more than two things are involved.
     
    Par example:

    Coincé entre les contraintes du cinéma européen et celles du cinéma américain, cet acteur n'a pas toujours décroché les meilleurs roles.

    On utilise entre même s'il y a plusieurs contraintes.

    Peut-être c'est parce qu'il y a deux cinemas?
     
    oui, je le comprends ainsi : il y a 2 sortes de cinéma

    ceci étant, on peut dire "entre les hommes", même s'ils sont plus de deux =>" il existe une véritable fraternité entre les hommes " . Ici, contrairement à "parmi" qui est plus neutre, "entre" accentue l'idée que cette fraternité est mutuelle
    enfin, je le vois comme ça!
     
    What's the deference between "parmi" and "entre"?

    For example: can I use "entre" instead of "parmi" here "Son nom est très respecté parmi les savants."

    La source: ici

    Note: I don't ask about the context but about the two prepositions in general.
     
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