Breakdown of Среди этих людей у нас есть одно полезное знакомство.
мы
we
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
люди
people
у
at, by
есть
is, there is, to have
полезный
healthy, good for you (of food) / useful
среди
among
один
a certain / some
знакомство
acquaintance
Questions & Answers about Среди этих людей у нас есть одно полезное знакомство.
Why is одно translated as 'a certain' rather than 'one'?
In this sentence, одно (the neuter form of один) isn't just counting the number of connections. It acts as an indefinite specific pronoun, meaning 'a certain' or 'a particular'. The speaker has a specific connection in mind but chooses not to name them yet. This is a very common way to introduce a specific but unnamed noun in Russian.
If we removed одно and just said у нас есть полезное знакомство, how would the meaning change?
Without одно, the sentence simply states a general fact: 'we have a useful connection'. Adding одно changes the tone. It hints that the speaker is thinking of a specific person and is likely about to explain how they plan to use this connection, adding a subtle 'I know a guy' vibe to the sentence.
Doesn't знакомство usually refer to the act of meeting someone or the state of knowing them?
Yes, its primary meaning is the act of getting acquainted. However, by B2 level, you'll often see it used to mean a 'contact' or 'connection'—a specific person you know who can be helpful to you. Here, полезное знакомство translates best as a 'useful connection' or 'useful contact'.
Why is it этих людей after среди?
The preposition среди (among) always requires the genitive case. Because we are talking about a plural group, we use the genitive plural of эти (этих) and the genitive plural of люди (людей). It's a good reminder that человек (person) uses люди for its plural forms in all cases except when counting with exact numbers.
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