mein großer Bruder
The German phrase for "my big brother" is mein großer Bruder.
This phrase refers to a male sibling who is older than the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of mein (my), großer (big/large) and Bruder (brother).
Which one should you use?
While mein großer Bruder is common, mein älterer Bruder is more precise if you want to emphasize chronological age rather than physical size.
How does it change in a sentence?
If mein großer Bruder is the direct object of a sentence, the phrase changes to meinen großen Bruder due to German case declension. The genitive form used to indicate possession (e.g., 'the name of my big brother') is meines großen Bruders.
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'big brother' can imply an oppressive authority figure due to Orwell's novel, großer Bruder is almost always used literally to describe a family member.
- In German, the word Bruder is sometimes used as a slang term of endearment between close male friends, similar to 'bro' in English but often used in more diverse urban youth dialects.
- In casual German, children often use the diminutive Brüderchen to refer to a brother, which adds a sense of endearment.
Examples in context
- Wo ist mein großer Bruder?Where's my big brother?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of mein großer Bruder.Tatoeba #11760682 by mhr, translation #13430227 by frpzzd
- Ali ist mein großer Bruder.Ali is my big brother.This sentence is useful for identifying someone as mein großer Bruder.Tatoeba #11822578 by mhr, translation #12978988 by araneo
- Du bist mein großer Bruder.You're my big brother.This sentence is useful for addressing someone as mein großer Bruder.Tatoeba #12639913 by Waldelfe, translation #10673170 by felidad
- Ich möchte Ihnen meinen großen Bruder vorstellen.I would like to introduce my big brother to you.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Laura are looking at an old photo album.
- JulianDas ist mein großer Bruder.That is my big brother.
- LauraEr sieht sehr nett aus.He looks very nice.
- JulianJa, mein großer Bruder ist sehr freundlich.Yes, my big brother is very friendly.
- LauraEr hat ein schönes Lächeln.He has a nice smile.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
