Entre and parmi both describe being situated inside a group, and both are sometimes translated by English among. But French is more precise than English: entre picks out a relationship to a small, definite set — typically two specific things or people, sometimes more — while parmi picks out a relationship to a larger, more blended group, in which the speaker is not singling out specific members. Once you have the split, you can express degrees of definiteness that English handles only by adding extra words.
This page lays out the two prepositions in detail, gives the rules for when each is required, shows the special construction d'entre (used with quantity expressions and pronouns), and ends with side-by-side contrasts to help you internalize the choice. By the end, you will know whether among my friends is entre mes amis or parmi mes amis — and the answer is not the same for every sentence.
ENTRE: between two or among a definite set
The core meaning of entre is between — the space, time, or relationship located inside the boundaries of two specific points. With two members, entre is the only choice in French. The two points can be physical (two places), temporal (two moments), or social (two people).
Entre with two physical points
Le village se trouve entre la montagne et la rivière.
The village is located between the mountain and the river.
J'ai mis le livre entre les deux étagères.
I put the book between the two shelves.
Il y a une belle vue entre les arbres.
There's a nice view between the trees.
On va prendre le train de Paris à Lyon — c'est cinq cents kilomètres entre les deux villes.
We're taking the train from Paris to Lyon — it's five hundred kilometers between the two cities.
The pattern is straightforward: entre A et B, where A and B are clearly identified points. French and English match here closely.
Entre with two time points
For time intervals, entre + start + et + end is the standard construction.
On peut se voir entre 14 heures et 16 heures.
We can meet between 2 and 4 p.m.
Le magasin est fermé entre midi et deux.
The shop is closed between noon and 2.
Cette cathédrale a été construite entre 1163 et 1345.
This cathedral was built between 1163 and 1345.
Entre dix-huit et vingt-cinq ans, on cherche encore son chemin.
Between eighteen and twenty-five, you're still finding your way.
In all of these, the two endpoints are explicit. The interval is measured between two named moments, and entre is the right preposition.
Entre with two people
When entre sits between two people or two parties, it suggests a relationship, an interaction, or a division between them.
Entre toi et moi, je crois qu'il ment.
Between you and me, I think he's lying.
Il y a quelque chose entre Marie et Pierre, c'est évident.
There's something going on between Marie and Pierre, it's obvious.
Le partage entre les deux frères s'est fait sans dispute.
The division between the two brothers was made without a fight.
The expression entre toi et moi (or entre nous) is a fixed idiom for just between us, in confidence. It is one of the most useful set phrases in conversational French.
Entre nous, je ne suis pas vraiment d'accord avec sa décision.
Just between us, I don't really agree with his decision.
Entre with more than two — when the set is identified
Entre extends to more than two members when the set is finite and identified. If the speaker has a specific group of three, four, or ten people in mind — and the listener can identify those people — entre is appropriate.
Entre frères et sœurs, on se dit toujours la vérité.
Among siblings, you always tell each other the truth.
Entre collègues, on s'entraide quand il y a un problème.
Among colleagues, we help each other when there's a problem.
On a discuté entre amis hier soir.
We had a chat among friends last night.
In each case, the group is identified and bounded — frères et sœurs (the speaker's siblings), collègues (a specific work team), amis (a specific group of friends). The size doesn't matter as much as the identifiability.
PARMI: among a larger, less defined group
Parmi covers the territory of among when the group is larger, more diffuse, or treated as a backdrop rather than as identified members. The speaker is not picking out a specific set of people — they are situating something inside a crowd.
Parmi with general groups
Parmi les étudiants de cette université, beaucoup viennent de l'étranger.
Among the students at this university, many come from abroad.
Cette habitude est rare parmi les jeunes d'aujourd'hui.
This habit is rare among young people today.
Parmi tous mes souvenirs d'enfance, celui-ci est le plus vif.
Of all my childhood memories, this one is the most vivid.
Il est devenu célèbre parmi les passionnés de jazz.
He became famous among jazz enthusiasts.
In each of these, the group is treated as a population to be described in general terms — students, young people, jazz fans, childhood memories. The members are not individually identified; the group is a kind of crowd or category.
Parmi for selection and choice
Parmi is the standard preposition for the construction choose / pick from / select among.
Choisis une carte parmi celles-ci.
Pick a card from these.
Parmi tous les candidats, c'est elle qu'on a sélectionnée.
Of all the candidates, she's the one we selected.
Difficile de trouver le meilleur parmi tant de bons films.
Hard to find the best among so many good films.
Tu peux choisir parmi ces trois options.
You can choose among these three options.
Notice the last example: parmi ces trois options — even though the set has only three members, parmi feels right because the speaker is offering a selection from a presented group. With the same three options, entre les trois would emphasize the bounded identity of the trio, while parmi ces trois options emphasizes selection from them.
Parmi inside a crowd
Parmi situates the speaker or another person inside a larger crowd or population.
Je me sens à l'aise parmi mes collègues.
I feel comfortable among my colleagues.
Parmi la foule, j'ai vu un visage familier.
In the crowd, I saw a familiar face.
Il marchait parmi les ruines, perdu dans ses pensées.
He walked among the ruins, lost in his thoughts.
On vit parmi des gens qu'on ne comprend pas toujours.
We live among people we don't always understand.
The image is one of being immersed in, surrounded by — the group is the medium, not a set of identified targets.
D'ENTRE: among a quantified set
A special construction uses d'entre (the partitive form) when the speaker wants to pick out a specific number, fraction, or identified subgroup from a set. The pattern is quantity + d'entre + group.
L'un d'entre eux est arrivé en retard.
One of them arrived late.
Plusieurs d'entre nous étaient déjà partis.
Several of us had already left.
Aucun d'entre vous n'a la réponse ?
None of you knows the answer?
Beaucoup d'entre nous parlent au moins deux langues.
Many of us speak at least two languages.
Lequel d'entre vous a fait ça ?
Which of you did this?
The fixed expressions are: l'un d'entre eux (one of them), certains d'entre nous (some of us), plusieurs d'entre vous (several of you), aucun d'entre eux (none of them), quelques-uns d'entre nous (a few of us), la plupart d'entre eux (most of them).
This d'entre construction is essentially the only way to combine a quantity expression with a tonic pronoun (nous, vous, eux, elles) — l'un de nous exists but is much rarer; l'un d'entre nous is the standard.
A few important fixed expressions
Both prepositions appear in a number of idiomatic expressions worth memorizing.
With entre:
- entre nous — between us, in confidence
- entre les deux — between the two; in the middle (when given a binary choice)
- entre autres — among others (when listing examples)
- entre temps / entre-temps — in the meantime
- entre quatre yeux — face-to-face, privately (literally "between four eyes")
- lire entre les lignes — read between the lines
- soit dit entre nous — let it be said between us
With parmi:
- parmi tant d'autres — among so many others
- parmi nous — among us (often with a sense of here in our midst)
- parmi d'autres — among others (alternative to entre autres)
Cette idée, entre autres, mérite d'être discutée.
This idea, among others, deserves to be discussed.
Entre-temps, il s'est passé beaucoup de choses.
In the meantime, a lot has happened.
Il y a un grand artiste parmi nous.
There's a great artist among us.
Side-by-side contrasts
These pairs show how the same English idea splits differently in French depending on definiteness.
Entre mes deux meilleurs amis, je préfère Marie.
Between my two best friends, I prefer Marie. (Two specific people — entre.)
Parmi tous mes amis, c'est elle ma préférée.
Of all my friends, she's my favorite. (Larger group — parmi.)
Le secret reste entre les trois fondateurs.
The secret stays between the three founders. (Bounded, identified group — entre.)
Le secret circulait parmi les employés depuis des semaines.
The secret had been circulating among the employees for weeks. (Diffuse population — parmi.)
On va répartir l'argent entre les enfants.
We're going to divide the money between the children. (Identifiable set, division — entre.)
Cette tradition est répandue parmi les enfants des écoles primaires.
This tradition is widespread among primary-school children. (General population — parmi.)
The contrast is real and observable. Entre implies that the speaker has the members of the set in mind, can count them, and is doing something between or within that bounded set. Parmi implies that the group is treated as a population — too large or too vague to be enumerated, treated as a crowd or backdrop.
Why English speakers find this hard
English uses among very loosely — it covers everything from among my two best friends (which French would never accept; entre is required there) to among the people of the world (clearly parmi). The English speaker has no instinct for the size or definiteness of the group, because English doesn't ask the question.
The trickiest part is the case of three to ten members. With two, entre is mandatory. With dozens or more, parmi is the natural choice. In between, the speaker has to decide whether the group is identified (members the listener can point to) or diffuse (members treated as a crowd). When in doubt, ask: can I name them? If yes, entre. If they're a population, parmi.
Common mistakes
❌ Parmi toi et moi, c'est un secret.
Incorrect — for two specific people, use entre, not parmi.
✅ Entre toi et moi, c'est un secret.
Just between you and me, it's a secret.
❌ Entre tous les Français, beaucoup parlent anglais.
Awkward — for a large general population, use parmi.
✅ Parmi tous les Français, beaucoup parlent anglais.
Among all French people, many speak English.
❌ L'un de eux est venu hier.
Incorrect — for quantity + tonic pronoun, use d'entre, not de.
✅ L'un d'entre eux est venu hier.
One of them came yesterday.
❌ Choisis parmi ces deux options.
Awkward — with exactly two options, entre is the natural choice.
✅ Choisis entre ces deux options.
Choose between these two options.
❌ Le rendez-vous est parmi 14h et 16h.
Incorrect — for a time interval with two endpoints, use entre.
✅ Le rendez-vous est entre 14h et 16h.
The appointment is between 2 and 4 p.m.
❌ Beaucoup parmi nous parlent français.
Awkward — with quantity + tonic pronoun, use d'entre. Even better: 'beaucoup d'entre nous'.
✅ Beaucoup d'entre nous parlent français.
Many of us speak French.
Key takeaways
- Entre covers between two and among a definite, identified set — typically a small, bounded group whose members the listener can identify.
- Parmi covers among a larger, less defined group — a population, a crowd, or a general category treated as a backdrop.
- For time intervals (entre 8h et 10h) and physical between (entre les deux montagnes), entre is mandatory.
- For selection (choisir parmi), immersion (marcher parmi la foule), and general statements about populations (parmi les jeunes), parmi is the natural choice.
- The construction d'entre (= de + entre) is required after quantity expressions and before tonic pronouns: l'un d'entre eux, certains d'entre nous, aucun d'entre vous.
- Decision rule when in doubt: if the members are identifiable, use entre; if they're a crowd or population, use parmi.
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