старший брат
starshiy brat
The Russian phrase for "big brother" is старший брат (starshiy brat).
старший брат is used to refer to a brother who is older than another person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective старший (older/senior) and the noun брат (brother).
Which one should you use?
While старший брат refers to an older brother, you should use младший брат if you want to say "little brother" (younger brother).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes its form depending on how it is used in a sentence. For example, when expressing possession or using certain prepositions, the phrase becomes старшего брата (the genitive case).
How do you pronounce it?
starshiy brat
Did you know?
- When referring to the concept of 'Big Brother' from Orwell's novel 1984, Russians use the phrase Большой Брат instead of старший брат.
- In Russian, старший describes someone who is older in a family hierarchy, while старый refers to someone who is old in age.
- While 'big brother' in English can be a slang term for a protector or a spy, старший брат is almost exclusively used for the literal family relation.
Examples in context
- Где мой старший брат?Where's my big brother?This is useful for asking about the location of one's старший брат.Tatoeba #11760704 by marafon, translation #13430227 by frpzzd
- Али – мой старший брат.Ali is my big brother.This is useful for identifying someone as your старший брат.Tatoeba #12979305 by marafon, translation #12978988 by araneo
- Том – старший брат Джона.Tom is John's big brother.This is useful for describing the relationship between Tom and John using старший брат.Tatoeba #5640087 by marafon, translation #11009281 by shekitten
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sergey and Ekaterina are talking about family members at home.
- Сергей SergeyУ тебя есть старший брат?U tebya yest' starshiy brat?Do you have an older brother?
- Екатерина EkaterinaДа, мой старший брат живёт в Москве.Da, moy starshiy brat zhivyot v Moskve.Yes, my big brother lives in Moscow.
- Сергей SergeyОн работает врачом?On rabotayet vrachom?Does he work as a doctor?
- Екатерина EkaterinaНет, он инженер.Net, on inzhener.No, he is an engineer.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
