الأخ الأكبر
al-akh al-akbar
The English phrase "elder brother" is الأخ الأكبر (al-akh al-akbar) in Arabic.
الأخ الأكبر is used to refer to a brother who is older than another sibling.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the definite noun al-akh (the brother) and the superlative adjective al-akbar (the elder/greater).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "my elder brother", you change the noun from al-akh to أخي by adding the first-person singular possessive suffix, resulting in أخي الأكبر.
How do you pronounce it?
al-akh al-akbar
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, people avoid calling their الأخ الأكبر by his first name as a sign of respect, instead using the phrase or a title.
- While الأخ means 'brother', in many Arabic dialects it is commonly used to address any male peer or stranger as a sign of respect and friendliness, similar to 'brother' or 'mate' in English.
- The term أخ is a linguistic relative of the English word 'brother' only in a very distant sense, but it shares a deep ancestral root with the Hebrew word 'ach'.
Examples in context
- هارون نبي و هو الأخ الأكبر لموسى في الديانات الإبراهيمية.Aaron was a prophet, and the elder brother of Moses in the Abrahamic religions.This sentence is useful for seeing how to refer to the elder brother of a person in a religious context using الأخ الأكبر.Tatoeba #8825495 by LinaTamazight, translation #8825458 by LinaTamazight
- هو الأخ الأكبر في العائلة.huwa al-akh al-akbar fi al-'a'ila.He is the elder brother in the family.
Example conversation
Youssef and Mariam are talking about their families.
- يوسف Youssefأنا لدي أخ واحد، وهو الأخ الأكبر.Ana ladayya akh wahid, wa huwa al-akh al-akbar.I have one brother, and he is the elder brother.
- مريم Maryamكم عمره يا يوسف؟Kam 'umruhu ya Youssef?How old is he, Youssef?
- يوسف Youssefعمره خمسة وعشرون عاماً.'Umruhu khamsa wa 'ishrun 'aman.He is twenty-five years old.
- مريم Maryamهذا رائع جداً.Hadha ra'i' jiddan.That is very wonderful.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
