frères et sœurs
The French way to say 'siblings' is frères et sœurs.
Use frères et sœurs to refer to people who share the same parents, regardless of their gender.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase frères et sœurs literally translates to 'brothers and sisters'.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, which has a single gender-neutral word 'siblings', French typically requires the use of both masculine and feminine nouns to express the same concept.
Did you know?
- In French, if a group of siblings consists of ten sisters and only one brother, the entire group is referred to using the masculine plural form.
- The word sœur is used similarly in religious contexts to describe a nun, making the phrase frères et sœurs a common way to address a congregation.
- In very casual French slang, a brother can be called a frérot, a diminutive form that expresses close affection or a 'bro' relationship.
Examples in context
- Ils sont frères et sœurs.They are siblings.This sentence is useful for stating that a group of people are siblings.Tatoeba #8756028 by Aiji, translation #4384727 by AlanF_US
- J'aime mes frères et sœurs.I love my siblings.This sentence is useful for expressing affection for one's siblings.Tatoeba #6155074 by Dobleue, translation #6018473 by mailohilohi
- Tom a deux frères et sœurs.Tom has two siblings.This sentence is useful for stating the number of siblings someone has.Tatoeba #7465687 by tras, translation #7463370 by shekitten
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are talking about their families during lunch.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu as des frères et sœurs ?Do you have any siblings?
- LucasOui, j'ai un frère et une sœur.Yes, I have one brother and one sister.
- ChloéMoi, je n'ai pas de frères et sœurs.As for me, I don't have any siblings.
- LucasAh, tu es enfant unique alors.Ah, so you are an only child.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
