fratello e sorella
/fraˈtɛl.lo ˈe soˈrɛl.la/word by word
The English phrase "brother and sister" is translated into Italian as fratello e sorella.
Two siblings, one male and one female, who share the same parents.
What does it mean word for word?
The word for "brother" in Italian is fratello. The Italian word for "sister" is sorella.
How do you pronounce it?
/fraˈtɛl.lo ˈe soˈrɛl.la/. The word has 6 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- If you have multiple brothers and sisters, you cannot use fratello e sorella as a collective noun. You must use the masculine plural fratelli to cover both genders.
- Italian uses sorella not only for a biological sister but also as a common term for a nun, reflecting the religious tradition of the 'sisterhood'.
- In an Italian family, a 'brother-in-law' is called cognato, a word that comes from the same root as 'cognate', meaning people who are related by birth or marriage.
Examples in context
- Sono fratello e sorella.They're brother and sister.Tatoeba #5631603 by Guybrush88, translation #2544025 by CK
- Siamo fratello e sorella.We are brother and sister.Tatoeba #384854 by Pharamp, translation #248611 by CK
- Siete fratello e sorella?Are you brother and sister?Tatoeba #13352281 by Guybrush88, translation #12081499 by CK
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Lorenzo are looking at an old photo of two children.
- ChiaraChi sono questi bambini nella foto?Who are these children in the photo?
- LorenzoLoro sono fratello e sorella.They are brother and sister.
- ChiaraSi somigliano molto, vero?They look very much alike, right?
- LorenzoSì, sono proprio fratello e sorella.Yes, they really are brother and sister.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (fratello, e, sorella) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
