hermana y hermano
/eɾmana i eɾmano/from spelling rules
The phrase sister and brother in Spanish is hermana y hermano.
Two siblings, one female and one male, who share the same parents.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the order of the words can be reversed to hermano y hermana without changing the meaning of the phrase. Additionally, if you want to refer to a group of siblings that includes both a brother and a sister, you can use the masculine plural form hermanos.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾmana i eɾmano/
Did you know?
- The English word 'germane', meaning relevant or fitting, shares the same Latin root as the Spanish words hermana and hermano.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, people use the phrase hermanos de la vida to describe a soulmate or a friend who has become like a sibling through shared experiences.
- While we use 'brother' to mean 'sibling' in English slang, a Spanish speaker might call a complete stranger hermano as a friendly gesture of solidarity or brotherhood.
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are talking about their families.
- DanielElena, ¿tienes hermanos?Elena, do you have siblings?
- ElenaSí, tengo una hermana y hermano.Yes, I have a sister and brother.
- Daniel¡Qué bien! Yo soy hijo único.That's great! I am an only child.
- ElenaA veces es divertido tener hermanos.Sometimes it is fun to have siblings.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hermana, hermano, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
