dintre

Dintre is a preposition in Romanian that means from among or of those, used to indicate a selection or a subset drawn from a larger group. It is typically used when the speaker refers to a defined set from which something is chosen or when contrasting elements within a group.

In practice, dintre is followed by a noun phrase that names the group. Common patterns include dintre toate, dintre toți, dintre câțiva, or phrases like dintre voi. Examples: Dintre toate opțiunile, aceasta este cea mai bună. Dintre voi, cine a venit? Dintre cărți, aceasta este cea mai veche. Dintre elevi, Maria este cea mai înaltă.

Dintre can also introduce a relative clause with the pronoun care: Am primit trei oferte, dintre care una este avantajoasă. Here, dintre care functions similarly to “of which” in English, pointing to a subset within a previously mentioned group.

Differences with related prepositions are notable. Printre also conveys “among” but is used more generally to indicate being inside a group without emphasizing a specific subset. Între denotes relationship, distribution, or comparison between elements (often two or more), rather than selecting from a defined set. Dintre thus emphasizes choosing or comparing within a particular, identifiable group.

Etymology traces dintre to a contraction of din (from) and între (between), with phonetic assimilation common in Romanian. The form is fixed and always written as one word.

In sum, dintre is the Romanian preposition used to express selection or comparison from a clearly defined group, frequently appearing in both simple and relative constructions to highlight the subset under discussion.