j'aime mon frère
The phrase "I love my brother" in French is j'aime mon frère.
This phrase is used to express deep affection for one's male sibling. While the verb aimer can mean both "to love" and "to like," it is the standard way to express familial affection in French. To describe someone as "dear," you might use cher, and to describe someone as "beloved," you would use adoré.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of j' (the pronoun je, meaning "I", which is elided before a vowel), aime (love), mon (my) and frère (brother).
Which one should you use?
When expressing romantic love for a person, French speakers typically use a different nuance of aimer or the phrase être amoureux de, whereas aimer is the standard and correct way to express affection for family members like a brother.
How does it change in a sentence?
The possessive adjective mon is used because frère is a masculine singular noun.
Did you know?
- French uses the verb aimer for both 'to love' and 'to like', but adding an adverb like bien in je l'aime bien actually weakens the meaning to 'I like him' rather than 'I love him'.
- While j'aime mon frère is standard, French speakers often use the diminutive frérot when speaking affectionately or informally about a brother.
- The word mon is derived from the Latin meum, but its specific form was likely influenced by the Gaulish word mon used by the Celts in ancient France.
Examples in context
- J'aime mon frère plus que tout.I love my brother more than anything.
- C'est vrai, j'aime mon frère.It's true, I love my brother.
- Même si nous nous disputons, j'aime mon frère.Even if we argue, I love my brother.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries frère, mon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
