Use les uns... les autres and l'un... l'autre to discuss distribution, contrast, and reciprocity. Let's observe a sociology experiment:
| The sociologist observes the guinea pigs. | Le sociologue observe les cobayes. |
Contrasting Groups and Individuals
To contrast two groups ("some... the others"), use the plural pronouns les uns... les autres. They stand on their own and replace the nouns completely.
| Some cooperate, the others refuse. | Les uns coopèrent, les autres refusent. |
For exactly two individuals ("one... the other"), use the singular l'un... l'autre.
| One speaks a lot, the other is silent. | L'un parle beaucoup, l'autre est silencieux. |
These pronouns can also follow prepositions like entre (between) to show relationships.
| There is a conflict between one and the other. | Il y a un conflit entre l'un et l'autre. |
Group Dynamics Vocabulary
Here are key sociology terms for how subjects interact. Notice that nuire à (to harm) requires the preposition à.
| The researcher studies altruism and solidarity among the participants. | Le chercheur étudie l'altruisme et la solidarité parmi les participants. |
| Hostility starts to harm our group. | L'hostilité commence à nuire à notre groupe. |
Objects and Reciprocity
These pronouns can also act as direct objects or describe reciprocal actions (doing something to one another).
When using them with de (from/of), remember the mandatory contraction: de + les autres becomes des autres.
| The researcher isolates some from the others. | Le chercheur isole les uns des autres. |
They can also be split across a sentence to contrast how two individuals are treated.
| The team protects one, but sacrifices the other. | L'équipe protège l'un, mais sacrifie l'autre. |