между vs среди

mezhdu vs sredi — between/among vs among/in the midst of

What it really means

Между means between and is used for a position, choice, relationship, or interval involving two or more reference points: между домами, между друзьями, между понедельником и вторником. Среди means among, amid, or in the midst of a group, setting, or mass: среди людей, среди деревьев. It does not normally describe a two-sided “between.”

For location, между takes the instrumental. Среди takes the genitive: среди друзей. Learn the prepositional patterns as fixed combinations.

Examples in natural speech

Между домами есть парк.
There is a park between the houses.
Выбери между чаем и кофе.
Choose between tea and coffee.
Среди гостей был врач.
There was a doctor among the guests.
Она чувствовала себя спокойно среди друзей.
She felt calm among friends.
Между нами нет секретов.
There are no secrets between us.

Common mistakes

Use среди + genitive, not среди друзьями: среди друзей. Do not use среди when choosing between two alternatives; say между чаем и кофе.

Memory tip

Между marks the space or relation between points; среди places something inside a group.

Frequently asked questions

What case follows среди?

Genitive: среди людей, среди друзей.

What case follows между for location?

Instrumental: между домами, между нами.

Can между be used for more than two?

Yes, depending on the relationship or alternatives in context.

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