frère
/fʁɛʁ/masculine
The English word "brother" is frère in French.
frère is a masculine noun used to refer specifically to a male sibling. While frère refers to a brother, the word sœur is used to denote a sister.
Meaning: male sibling (noun)
Which one should you use?
While frère is the standard term, mon frérot is an affectionate diminutive used between siblings or close friends and mon frangin is a slang variation used in a familiar and informal way.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of frère is frères. When you want to say "my brother", you use the masculine possessive adjective mon (resulting in mon frère) instead of the feminine ma.
How do you pronounce it?
/fʁɛʁ/
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase frère de lait refers to 'milk brothers', children who were nursed by the same wet nurse but are not biologically related.
- The concept of 'brotherhood' is often expressed as fraternité, which is one of the three official mottos of the French Republic.
- The French term fraternel describes a bond that is brotherly, but it is also used in a medical context to describe 'twin' phenomena, such as jumeaux fraternels.
Examples in context
- Tu es mon frère.You are my brother.This sentence is useful for stating a relationship using frère.Tatoeba #5750247 by Petrus, translation #5749935 by Catriona
- As-tu un frère ?Do you have a brother?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has a frère.Tatoeba #7315792 by felix63, translation #2646633 by CK
- Je suis ton frère.I'm your brother.This sentence is useful for identifying oneself as someone's frère.Tatoeba #2487457 by Aiji, translation #1977902 by Balamax
- Mon frère est très intelligent.My brother is very intelligent.
- Salut, mon frérot !Hey, bro!
- J'ai passé la soirée avec mon frangin hier.I spent the evening with my brother yesterday.
- 1005 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their families at a cafe.
- NathanTon frère est très sympa.Your brother is very nice.
- EmmaMerci, c'est gentil de dire ça.Thanks, that is kind of you to say.
- NathanEst-ce qu'il habite ici ?Does he live here?
- EmmaNon, il travaille à Lyon.No, he works in Lyon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brother” translations and entries frère, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
