hermano mayor
/eɾmano maʝoɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "big brother" is translated into Spanish as hermano mayor.
Use hermano mayor to refer to a male sibling who was born before another person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase hermano mayor literally translates to "older brother" because mayor means older or greater.
Which one should you use?
To say "little brother" or "younger brother", you use hermano menor instead of hermano mayor.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the sibling is female, you must change the masculine hermano to the feminine hermana to say "big sister" (hermana mayor). When referring to multiple older brothers or a mixed group of older siblings, both the noun and the adjective must be pluralized to hermanos mayores.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾmano maʝoɾ/
Did you know?
- The word hermano shares an unexpected root with the English word 'germane', which describes something closely related or pertinent.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, you might hear someone called hermano as a slang term for 'friend' or 'bro', similar to how English speakers use 'dude'.
- Centuries ago, Spanish used the word fradre for brother, which is closer to the English 'fraternity'. This was eventually displaced by hermano, which originally referred specifically to full siblings sharing both parents.
Examples in context
- Eres igualito a tu hermano mayor.You look just like your big brother.This sentence shows how to describe a physical resemblance to your hermano mayor.Tatoeba #890962 by Shishir, translation #16743 by Swift
- En todo caso, él es tu hermano mayor.In any case, he's your big brother.This sentence is useful for clarifying a person's relationship as a hermano mayor.Tatoeba #2685399 by cueyayotl, translation #2685295 by FeuDRenais2
- A mi hermano mayor le gusta la música.My big brother likes music.This sentence shows how to express a preference belonging to a hermano mayor.Tatoeba #5240838 by baudelaire, translation #5143947 by Airvian
- Mi hermano mayor siempre me cuida cuando salgo de fiesta.My big brother always takes care of me when I go out partying.
- El hermano mayor siempre está pendiente de todos.The big brother is always looking out for everyone.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are talking about their family members.
- Javier¿Tienes un hermano mayor?Do you have a big brother?
- SofíaSí, mi hermano mayor vive en Madrid.Yes, my big brother lives in Madrid.
- JavierQué bien, ¿es muy alto?That's great, is he very tall?
- SofíaSí, él es mucho más alto que yo.Yes, he is much taller than me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hermano, mayor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
