The "d'entre" Construction
When a pirate captain divides up the loot, they need to talk about specific groups: "many of you," "two of them," or "some of us." In French, to express "of" or "among" a group of people, you use the construction d'entre (literally "from among") followed by a stressed pronoun (nous, vous, eux, or elles).
| Many of you are greedy. | Beaucoup d'entre vous sont avides. |
| Two of them are loyal. | Deux d'entre eux sont loyaux. |
Asking Questions with "d'entre"
You can pair d'entre with question words to interrogate your crew. Use it after qui (who), combien (how many), or lequel / laquelle (which one).
| Who among you demands these ingots? | Qui d'entre vous réclame ces lingots ? |
| How many of us demand the gold? | Combien d'entre nous réclament l'or ? |
| Which of you wants to hang a loyal captain? | Lequel d'entre vous veut pendre un capitaine loyal ? |
Pronouns of Quantity
You will also frequently see d'entre attached to indefinite pronouns that express quantity, such as l'un (one), quelques-uns (some/a few), or plusieurs (several).
Note that the verb is always conjugated to match the quantity pronoun at the beginning, not the stressed pronoun at the end of the phrase. For example, if the subject is l'un d'entre eux, the verb takes the "il/elle" form, not the "ils/elles" form.
| One of them is holding a dagger to my throat. | L'un d'entre eux tient un poignard sous ma gorge. |
| Some of you are preparing a mutiny without the captain! | Quelques-uns d'entre vous préparent une mutinerie sans le capitaine ! |
| Several of you demand the gold unjustly. | Plusieurs d'entre vous réclament l'or injustement. |