frère
/fʁɛʁ/masculine
The French word for brother is frère.
The word frère is used to refer to a male sibling. You can also use the related verb fraterniser to express the idea of treating someone as a brother.
Meaning: male sibling (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québécois French, you may encounter the informal term ti-frère to mean brother.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, frère must be preceded by a masculine article or possessive adjective, such as le or mon. To form the plural frères (brothers), simply add an s to the end of the word.
How do you pronounce it?
/fʁɛʁ/
Did you know?
- French uses the word fraternité to describe the spirit of brotherhood, and it is one of the three national mottos of France: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.
- While 'frère' is the standard term, the word fratrie is used in French to describe the entire group of siblings in a family collectively.
- In some French slang, particularly in urban areas, the term frérot is used very frequently by young people as an informal way to say 'bro' or 'mate'.
Examples in context
- Tu es mon frère.You are my brother.This sentence is useful for stating a personal 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
- Permettez-moi de vous présenter mon frère, Pierre.Allow me to introduce my brother, Pierre.
- Veuillez indiquer le nom de votre frère sur ce formulaire.Please provide your brother's name on this form.
- Mon frère travaille dans une grande entreprise.My brother works in a large company.
- Les frères Dupont sont des avocats réputés.The Dupont brothers are renowned lawyers.
- Mon ami et moi, nous avons une relation fraternelle très forte.My friend and I have a very strong fraternal relationship.
- 1005 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are talking about their family members.
- GabrielTon frère est très gentil.Your brother is very kind.
- ManonMerci, c'est mon petit frère.Thank you, he is my little brother.
- GabrielEst-ce qu'il habite ici ?Does he live here?
- ManonNon, il est à Paris.No, he is in Paris.
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.
