mein lieber Bruder
/maɪ̯n ˈliːbɐ ˈbruːdɐ/word by word
In German, 'my dear brother' is said as mein lieber Bruder.
The phrase mein lieber Bruder is an affectionate way to address or refer to your own brother. If you want to use an extremely affectionate or colloquial term, you can use the compound noun Bruderherz.
Which one should you use?
For a more colloquial or extremely affectionate way to address a brother, Germans sometimes use the compound noun Bruderherz. For a diminutive or endearing term specifically meaning 'little brother', you can use Brüderchen.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a sister, use meine liebe Schwester. If 'my dear brother' is the direct object of a sentence, the form changes to meinen lieben Bruder. If you are expressing possession or 'of my dear brother', the form changes to meines lieben Bruders.
How do you pronounce it?
/maɪ̯n ˈliːbɐ ˈbruːdɐ/
Did you know?
- In some traditional German contexts, mein lieber Bruder can be used with heavy irony to address someone who is not a brother at all, similar to calling someone 'my dear fellow' in English.
- While Brüderchen refers to a 'little brother', the diminutive suffix -chen automatically makes the word neutral in gender, regardless of the original noun's gender.
- The term Bruderherz literally translates to 'brother heart'. It uses a common German pattern of adding Herz to a kinship term to express deep emotional closeness.
Examples in context
- Mein lieber Bruder, ich vermisse dich so sehr.My dear brother, I miss you so much.
- Mein lieber Bruder, wie geht es dir?My dear brother, how are you?
- Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, mein lieber Bruder.Happy birthday, my dear brother.
- Ich habe dich vermisst, mein lieber Bruder.I missed you, my dear brother.
Example conversation
Julia is calling her brother Maximilian to check on him.
- JuliaHallo, mein lieber Bruder!Hello, my dear brother!
- MaximilianHallo Julia, wie schön, von dir zu hören.Hello Julia, how nice to hear from you.
- JuliaIch wollte nur fragen, ob alles gut ist.I just wanted to ask if everything is okay.
- MaximilianJa, danke der Nachfrage, bei mir ist alles bestens.Yes, thanks for asking, everything is great with me.
