Non-numerical use of "один"

Question

I found the following sentence in which один occurs in a plural form and in conjunction with a plural noun. I had to deduce that it is being used in a non-numerical way, perhaps with a meaning like only.

От них у меня одни неприятности.

That being the case, is this considered an adverb or a particle?

Also, is it on the level of только or всего, and if so, does it bear the same sentential stress that these words would in a similar sentence? Or does it bear a secondary stress like a number would?

"От них у меня один неприятности." is ungrammatical — Anixx, Dec 30 '15 at 16:22
It's best to think of один as an adjective that sometimes has the properties of a noun. The endings are adjectival in most cases too. Also "one" is singular, only etc, in extended form, no? —extended meanings — VCH250, Dec 30 '15 at 17:05

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 30 '15 at 17:24

Here Одни is used as an adjective with the meaning close to "Nothing but", so it's in plural.

is it on the level of только or всего

Всего means rather a different thing. Только is certainly OK, but Одни sounds a bit stronger. I guess, "Nothing but" vs "Only" is a decently good analogy.

Non-numerical use of "один"

1 Answers1

Linked