tengo un hermano
/tenɡo un eɾmano/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I have a brother" translates to Spanish as tengo un hermano.
The phrase tengo un hermano is a statement used to say that a person has a male sibling. You can use the standard form Tengo un hermano, or you can add the pronoun Yo to the beginning to say Yo tengo un hermano. to emphasize that it is about you specifically.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the slang expression Tengo un carnal is a popular way to say "I have a brother." In Argentina, speakers might use the phrase tengo un hermanito specifically when referring to a younger brother.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase tengo un hermano, the word tengo is the first-person singular conjugation of the verb tener, which means "to have".
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo un eɾmano/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the verb tener is used for age, so saying tengo diez años literally means 'I have ten years' rather than 'I am ten years old'.
- The Spanish word for brother was once fradre, which is closer to the English 'fraternal', before hermano became the standard term.
- The word hermano comes from the Latin germānus, which specifically referred to siblings born from the same father and mother.
Examples in context
- Tengo un hermano llamado Tom.I have a brother named Tom.This sentence is useful for providing a name for your brother using tengo un hermano.Tatoeba #10061659 by Shishir, translation #6665200 by CK
- Tengo un hermano que vive en otro país.I have a brother who lives in another country.This sentence is useful for describing where your brother lives using tengo un hermano.Tatoeba #9905138 by Shishir, translation #9898070 by Ricardo14
- Tengo un hermano con la misma edad que tú.I have a brother who's the same age as you.This sentence is useful for noting your brother's age relative to someone else using tengo un hermano.Tatoeba #1435931 by marcelostockle, translation #1345206 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are talking about their families at a cafe.
- LucíaTengo un hermano.I have a brother.
- Alejandro¿Es mayor que tú?Is he older than you?
- LucíaNo, él es menor.No, he is younger.
- AlejandroQué bueno, Lucía.That's good, Lucía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
