kleiner Bruder
The German phrase for "little brother" is kleiner Bruder.
This phrase is used to refer to a male sibling who is younger than the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective klein (small/little) and the noun Bruder (brother).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on its role in a sentence. When it is the direct object (accusative case), the adjective becomes kleinen, such as in Ich sehe meinen kleinen Bruder. If the phrase follows certain prepositions like mit, the adjective ending changes to kleinem, for example in Ich spiele mit meinem kleinen Bruder.
Did you know?
- While kleiner Bruder is literal, Germans sometimes use the word Nesthäkchen to describe the youngest sibling in the family, regardless of gender.
- In German, calling someone your kleiner Bruder can sometimes be used ironically or condescendingly to imply the person is acting immaturely, even if they are actually an adult.
- The word Bruder is a linguistic relative of the English word 'fraternity', as both derive from the same ancient Indo-European roots.
Examples in context
- Wo ist dein kleiner Bruder?Where's your little brother?This example shows how to ask about the location of a kleiner Bruder.Tatoeba #11760710 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11827824 by nana2capriccio
- Er ist Taros kleiner Bruder.He's Taro's little brother.This example shows how to identify someone as a kleiner Bruder.Tatoeba #12481293 by mhr, translation #13101731 by rul
- Mein kleiner Bruder schreit laut.My little brother screams loud.This example demonstrates a description of a kleiner Bruder.Tatoeba #9171765 by Tepan, translation #12222874 by Miktsoanit
- Bitte grüßen Sie meinen jüngeren Bruder.Please say hello to my little brother.
- Gestern habe ich mit meinem kleinen Bruder Fußball gespielt.Yesterday, I played soccer with my little brother.
- Hast du das gesehen, Brüderchen?Did you see that, little bro?
- Ich möchte meinen jüngeren Bruder zu unserem Treffen mitbringen.I would like to bring my little brother to our meeting.
- Wir haben gestern mit meinem kleinen Bruder Videospiele gespielt.Yesterday, we played video games with my little brother.
- Hey, Brüderchen, hast du heute Zeit?Hey, little bro, do you have time today?
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Julian are talking about their family in a cafe.
- SarahHast du einen kleinen Bruder?Do you have a little brother?
- JulianJa, mein kleiner Bruder ist sehr lustig.Yes, my little brother is very funny.
- SarahDas ist sehr süß.That is very sweet.
- JulianEr besucht mich oft.He visits me often.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Bruder, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
