minha irmã
/ˈmĩ.ɲɐ iʁˈmɐ̃/word by word
The English phrase "my sister" is minha irmã in Portuguese.
You use minha irmã to refer to a female sibling of the speaker.
Which one should you use?
In English, the word "my" is used regardless of the gender of the sibling. In Portuguese, you must use minha when referring to a sister, whereas you would use meu when referring to a brother.
How does it change in a sentence?
The possessive adjective minha must agree in gender with the feminine noun irmã.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈmĩ.ɲɐ iʁˈmɐ̃/. The stress is on the first of three syllables.
Did you know?
- The word irmã shares the same Latin root as the English word 'germane', which means being closely related or relevant.
- Portuguese speakers often use irmã to refer to a nun, as the word for 'sister' and 'nun' is identical.
- In many Portuguese-speaking cultures, a person might call a close female friend minha irmã even if they share no biological connection.
Examples in context
- Ela é minha irmã.She's my sister.This sentence shows how to identify a person as minha irmã.Tatoeba #1204943 by alexmarcelo, translation #469126 by CK
- Esta é minha irmã.This is my sister.This sentence is useful for introducing someone as minha irmã.Tatoeba #1656899 by alexmarcelo, translation #556985 by Ezatullah
- Minha irmã é bela.My sister is pretty.This sentence uses minha irmã to describe a quality of the sister.Tatoeba #2363528 by alexmarcelo, translation #251899 by CK
- Maninha, você está bem?Sis, are you okay?
- Mana, vamos sair hoje à noite?Sis, are we going out tonight?
- 238 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Camila and Felipe are looking at a photo on her phone.
- CamilaEsta é minha irmã.This is my sister.
- FelipeEla é muito bonita.She is very beautiful.
- CamilaObrigada, ela é muito legal.Thanks, she is very cool.
- FelipeVocê tem sorte, Camila.You are lucky, Camila.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (minha, irmã) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries irmã, minha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
