mes frères et sœurs
The English phrase "my siblings" is translated into French as mes frères et sœurs.
Mes frères et sœurs is used to refer to the brothers and sisters of the speaker. Unlike English, which has a single word "siblings", French requires the construction of "brothers and sisters" to express this concept.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal combination of mes (my), frères (brothers) and sœurs (sisters).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because both frères and sœurs are plural, the possessive adjective must be the plural form mes rather than the singular mon or ma.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to use a single word like fratrie to mean "siblings", but fratrie refers to the entire sibling group as a collective unit (the sibship) rather than the individuals themselves.
Did you know?
- While mes frères et sœurs is the standard phrase, French speakers often use the word frangins or frangines in casual slang to refer to their brothers or sisters.
- The word frère is frequently used in French slang as a term of endearment or camaraderie between close male friends who are not actually related.
- The word et used to be frequently written simply as e in Old French. The modern spelling with a 't' was only re-established in the 12th century to mirror its Latin ancestor.
Examples in context
- J'aime mes frères et sœurs.I love my siblings.This sentence is useful for expressing affection for mes frères et sœurs.Tatoeba #6155074 by Dobleue, translation #6018473 by mailohilohi
- Mes frères et sœurs se disputent souvent à propos des jouets.My siblings are often at loggerheads over toys.This sentence is useful for describing how mes frères et sœurs behave regarding toys.Tatoeba #13093729 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #13093730 by Ioan_Cristian
- Je suis proche de mes frères et sœursI am close to my siblings
- Je vais passer le week-end avec mes frangins et franginesI'm going to spend the weekend with my siblings
- Je passe beaucoup de temps avec mes frères et sœurs, nous sommes très unis.I spend a lot of time with my siblings, we are very close.
- Mes frères et sœurs habitent à Lyon.My siblings live in Lyon.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are talking about their families at a café.
- LucasEst-ce que tu as des frères ou des sœurs ?Do you have any brothers or sisters?
- ChloéOui, mes frères et sœurs sont très drôles.Yes, my siblings are very funny.
- LucasTu les vois souvent ?Do you see them often?
- ChloéOui, on dîne ensemble chaque dimanche.Yes, we eat dinner together every Sunday.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries et, mes, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
