petit frère
The English phrase "little brother" is translated into French as petit frère.
petit frère is used to refer to a male sibling who is younger than the speaker or another person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of petit (small/little) and frère (brother).
Which one should you use?
While petit frère is the common way to say "little brother", frère cadet is a more precise way to specify a younger brother in terms of birth order.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, add an s to both the adjective and the noun: petits frères.
Did you know?
- While petit frère is common, French also uses the term benjamin to refer specifically to the youngest child in a family. This comes from the biblical name Benjamin.
- In slang, the word frérot is often used instead of petit frère to address a close male friend. It functions similarly to the English word 'bro'.
- In French history, the term cadet for a younger brother was tied to the 'cadetship' system where the eldest inherited most of the family estate.
Examples in context
- Veille sur ton petit frère.Look after your little brother.This sentence shows how to use petit frère when giving an instruction to look after someone.Tatoeba #13389089 by lbdx, translation #5386151 by Hybrid
- Quel âge a votre petit frère ?How old is your little brother?This sentence is useful for asking the age of a petit frère.Tatoeba #6219298 by Aiji, translation #6374557 by CarpeLanam
- Mon petit frère regarde la télé.My little brother is watching TV.This sentence demonstrates how to describe an action being performed by a petit frère.Tatoeba #3724 by TRANG, translation #1900 by Swift
- Comment ça va, petit frère?How are you, little brother?
- Je suis fier de mon petit frère.I am proud of my little brother.
- Permettez-moi de vous présenter mon frère cadet.Allow me to introduce my little brother.
- Mon frère cadet étudie l'économie à l'université.My little brother is studying economics at university.
- Salut, p'tit frangin!Hey, little bro!
- On va jouer au football avec les copains, p'tit frangin.We're going to play soccer with friends, little bro.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa are talking about family photos.
- NathanC'est mon petit frère sur cette photo.This is my little brother in this photo.
- LéaIl est très mignon !He is very cute!
- NathanOui, mon petit frère est adorable.Yes, my little brother is adorable.
- LéaQuel âge a-t-il maintenant ?How old is he now?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
