sorella maggiore
/soˈrɛl.la madˈd͡ʒo.re/word by word
The Italian phrase for "older sister" is sorella maggiore.
Meaning: single-word translations (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This phrase is composed of sorella (sister) and maggiore (elder or greater).
Which one should you use?
While sorella maggiore is the standard term, you may also encounter sorella più grande to mean older sister.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must change to their feminine plural forms, resulting in sorelle maggiori. The adjective maggiore must always agree in number with the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /soˈrɛl.la madˈdʒo.re/. It has 5 syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The adjective maggiore shares a common ancestor with the English word 'much', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root for 'big'.
- In Italian law, the term maggiorenne describes a person who has reached the age of majority, derived from the same root as maggiore.
- The word sorella is related to the Latin soror, which is the root of the English word 'sorority'.
Examples in context
- È la mia sorella maggiore.She's my older sister.This sentence demonstrates how to identify someone as your sorella maggiore.Tatoeba #1802934 by Guybrush88, translation #469125 by CK
- Tom ha una sorella maggiore.Tom has an older sister.This sentence shows the use of the phrase to describe someone's sibling.Tatoeba #5267891 by Guybrush88, translation #5261258 by CK
- Sono la tua sorella maggiore.I am your older sister.This sentence is used to state a personal relationship using sorella maggiore.Tatoeba #3501151 by Guybrush88, translation #2517115 by Gulo_Luscus
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Alessandro are talking about their families.
- ChiaraHai fratelli o sorelle?Do you have brothers or sisters?
- AlessandroSì, ho una sorella maggiore.Yes, I have an older sister.
- ChiaraDi quanti anni è più grande?How many years older is she?
- AlessandroLa mia sorella maggiore ha trent'anni.My older sister is thirty years old.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sorella, maggiore) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries maggiore, sorella, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
