# EN: each other / one another



## Ugluck

Bonjour / Hello

Je cherche la différence entre "each other" et "one another". Quelqu'un peut me donner la réponse ? Merci
I'm searching the difference between "each other" and "one another". Someone can answer me ? Thanks

*Moderator note: *multiple threads merged to create this one


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## wildan1

Welcome to the Forum, Ugluck!

I think these two phrases are synonyms, although one might be preferred over another in a given situation. But you didn't suggest one, Ugluck. Do you have a sentence in mind? As you use this forum, you will find that you get better help if you give a specific context.


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## Ugluck

D'après mes professeurs, l'un serait employé pour parler de deux personnes, quand l'autre serait utilisé pour parler d'un groupe de plus de deux personnes. Mais les avis des professeurs divergent...

According to my professors, one might be use for a group of two persons, and the other might be use for a group of more than two persons. But my professors opinions are not going in the same way...


[N'hésitez pas à reprendre mes fautes de traduction, sa m'aidera à m'améliorer - If my translations in english are not correct, please correct me, that will help me to improve]

Merci de vos réponses
Thanks for your answers


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## Stefan Ivanovich

Les avis divergent en effet.

Voir par exemple cet essai de 15 pages sur le sujet, sur le site de l'université de Nice.

Le manuel de style du National Geographic dit "_*Used interchangeably *though some maintain a distinction that _each other _refers to two and _one another _to more than two. The possessive is _each other's _(__not _each others'_) _books_._", ce qui résume bien l'usage constaté.

For more opinions on this issue, just google "each other / one another" !


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## wildan1

A quick look at Stefan's reference reveals the author using many citations from books and literature that are quite old. 

I don't really think such distinctions are made in any systematic way nowadays, at least in AE. You should have bigger things to worry about to learn English well!


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## sorry66

Designating “each other” for two and “one another” for more than two was the brainstorm of an obscure grammarian in the late 18th century; the phrases had been used interchangeably for centuries before...
To Each His Other 
By Evan Jenkins

I personally can't see the difference. It's whatever sounds the best in your sentence. In the fifteen-page essay, Jane Austen uses both in the same paragraph for the same two people.


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## alex k

Hello,

I cannot understand the difference between each other and one another.
Can someone tell me which is to employ in the sentence: " we are all dependent on each other / on one another .Nous sommes tous dépendants les uns des autres "


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## Nathalie1963

They are synonyms. Let's see what natives have to say...


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## parks

After some consideration, I can't imagine any situation in which the two are not interchangeable (as in common practice).


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## shrekspeare

Hi, 
You can read in grammar books that "each other" is generally used for two and "one another" for more than two..... It's not exactly right and you'll find many an example proving the contrary.
It's not exactly wrong neither.
Some linguists say "each other" shows the individuation of the objects whereas "one another" shows some kind of globalization of the objects...
I'm not sure I'm being very helpful here, but that's what it's all about....


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## parks

_Some_ scholars would maintain the difference between 2 parties (each other) and 3+ parties (one another), however the distinction is rather archaic, and it is widely overlooked in nearly all situations - _BUT_ I've found this on the subject:



> It is often maintained that _each other_ should be used to denote a reciprocal relation between two entities, with _one another_ reserved for more than two: thus _The twins dislike each other_ but _The triplets dislike one another._ Sixty-four percent of Usage Panelists say that they follow this rule in their own writing. But it should be pointed out that many reputable writers from Samuel Johnson onward have ignored the rule and that the use of _each other_ for more than two, or of _one another_ for two, cannot be considered incorrect. In particular, there are contexts in which _each other_ and _one another_ are subtly different in meaning. When speaking of an ordered series of events or stages, _one another_ is the preferred form. Thus the sentence _The waiters followed one another into the room_ was preferred by 73 percent of the Usage Panel to the sentence _The waiters followed each other into the room._ · _Each other_ should not be used as the subject of a clause in writing. Instead of _We always know what each other is thinking,_ one should write _Each of us knows what the other is thinking. _ · The possessive forms of _each other_ and _one another_ are written _each other's_ and _one another's:_ _The boys wore each other's_ (not _each others'_) _coats. They had forgotten one another's_ (not _one anothers'_) _names._


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## scorpioyuki

Bonjour!

Je cherche à comprendre l'emploi de ces pronoms mutuels.

Après une recherche soutenue sur Internet, j'ai trouvé que 

-"each other" correspond à 2 personnes
-"one another" correspond à 2 personnes et plus et à des affirmations plus générales. ex: Love one another

(Cependant certains sites contestent cette règle, comme quoi les deux sont possibles de manière historique)

Le problème c'est qu'apparemment cette explication ne suffit pas car en voulant m'exercer sur un quizz spécialisé sur cette question, j'ai échoué!

Pouvez-vous m'indiquer s'il s'agit d'un emploi grammatical qu'on ressent au niveau de manière intuitive (ce qui explique mes erreurs) ou sinon avez-vous des explications?

[...]

*Note de la modération* : Lien supprimé ; nos membres ne peuvent pas évaluer leurs compétences sur un site externe pour ensuite en discuter ici.  Ce genre de requête ne rentre pas dans le cadre des forums.


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## valimo_black

Je pense que each other désigne plutôt une action fondamentalement réciproque comme se donner la main, s'aimer en couple etc. One another semble plutôt désigner des interactions plus vagues au sein d'un groupe, comme dans le fameux love one another.


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## geostan

It is true that these two are used often interchangeably. I am one native, however, that follows the "rule." If I am speaking about two persons, I use _each other_. If there are more than two, I use _one another_. I should add that I am quite conservative in my usage.


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## wildan1

I will stand with Jane Austen--no real distinction is made, nor perceived as distinct in meaning, by most educated native speakers.


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