J'ai un frère
To say "I have a brother" in French, use J'ai un frère.
This phrase is used to state that a person has one male sibling. While J'ai un frère is the standard way to convey this, you may also use the word frangin to refer to a brother in a more familiar or affectionate way.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of J' (the word Je meaning "I" elided before a vowel), ai (the verb meaning "have"), un (meaning "a" or "one") and frère (meaning "brother").
Did you know?
- While frère means 'brother', it is also the standard term for a monk in a religious community. In a church context, calling someone mon frère may be a spiritual address rather than a biological one.
- The word frère shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'brother' and the Sanskrit word 'bhrātar', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*bʰréh₂tēr'.
- In modern French slang, the word frère is often used as a general term of endearment or camaraderie between close friends, similar to how 'bro' is used in English.
Examples in context
- J'ai un frère de ton âge.I have a brother your age.This sentence is useful for describing the age of the brother using the form J'ai un frère.Tatoeba #3474884 by sacredceltic, translation #12074727 by CK
- Il s'avère que j'ai un frère.It turns out that I have a brother.This sentence shows how to introduce the fact of having a brother using the form J'ai un frère.Tatoeba #7591052 by Vykan, translation #7590597 by AlanF_US
- J'ai un frère qui s'appelle Tom.I have a brother named Tom.This sentence is helpful for providing a name for the brother using the form J'ai un frère.Tatoeba #6821262 by Rockaround, translation #6665200 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their families at a cafe.
- LucasEst-ce que tu as des frères ou des sœurs ?Do you have any brothers or sisters?
- ChloéJ'ai un frère, mais je n'ai pas de sœur.I have a brother, but I don't have a sister.
- LucasAh bon ? Quel âge a ton frère ?Oh really? How old is your brother?
- ChloéIl est plus jeune que moi.He is younger than me.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries frère, j'ai, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
