mis hermanos
/mis eɾmanos/from spelling rules
To say "my siblings" in Spanish, use mis hermanos.
This phrase refers to the brothers and sisters of the speaker. While it is the standard way to express the concept of "siblings" in a mixed-gender group or a group containing at least one male, it is also used specifically to refer to brothers.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, mis hermanos translates to "my brothers", but in Spanish, the masculine plural is used as a gender-neutral term to mean "siblings" when the group includes at least one male or is mixed.
Which one should you use?
While mis hermanos can mean "my brothers", it is the standard way to say "my siblings" regardless of gender composition, provided there is at least one male.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker's siblings consist only of females, the masculine plural mis hermanos changes to the feminine plural mis hermanas.
How do you pronounce it?
/mis eɾmanos/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the term hermanos is used affectionately to describe very close friends who are not biologically related.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word hermano is used as a slang term similar to 'bro' or 'dude' to address a male friend or stranger.
- Spanish uses the term hermanastros specifically for step-siblings, whereas medio hermano refers to a half-sibling.
Examples in context
- Mis hermanos tienen once gatos y dos perras.My siblings have eleven cats and two dogs.This sentence shows how to use mis hermanos to describe what siblings possess.Tatoeba #2372085 by Shishir, translation #10372062 by DJ_Saidez
- El miércoles pasado le escribí una carta a mis hermanos.Last Wednesday, I wrote a letter to my siblings.This sentence shows how to use mis hermanos as the indirect object of a letter being written.Tatoeba #1479328 by marcelostockle, translation #1202174 by ellasevia
- Todos mis hermanos son más altos que yo.All my siblings are taller than me.This sentence uses mis hermanos to compare the height of siblings to the speaker.Tatoeba #863868 by washisnein, translation #693613 by thedowntowncanon
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are talking about their families at a cafe.
- Elena¿Tienes muchos hijos, Daniel?Do you have many children, Daniel?
- DanielNo, pero mis hermanos viven cerca de aquí.No, but my siblings live near here.
- Elena¡Qué bien! ¿Vives con ellos?That's great! Do you live with them?
- DanielNo, vivo solo, pero los veo mucho.No, I live alone, but I see them often.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
