What does frère in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word frère in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use frère in French.

The word frère in French means brother, brother, brother, brother, brother-in-law, brother-in-law, half-brother, traitor, younger brother, half-brother, brother in arms, brother in misfortune, foster brother, blood brother, Frère Jacques, twin brother, big brother, little brother, younger brother. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word frère

brother

nom masculin (lien de parenté proche) (male sibling)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Dans ma famille, il y a mes parents, ma sœur Jeanne et mon frère Théo.
My family consists of my parents, my sister, Jean, and my brother, Theo.

brother

nom masculin (figuré (ami intime) (figurative: friend)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Stan a toujours été là pour moi : c'est un vrai frère.
Stan has always been there for me; he's a real buddy.

brother

nom masculin (personne d'un même groupe) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
li faut libérer nos frères qui pourrissent dans des prisons alors qu'ils n'ont rien fait !
We must free our brothers who are rotting in prisons when they've done nothing wrong!

brother

nom masculin (homme d'un groupe religieux) (figurative, religious)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
C'est frère Ernest qui enseigne les mathématiques dans cette école.
Brother Ernest is the maths teacher in this school.

brother-in-law

nom masculin (frère de la femme ou du mari)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
En épousant Sylvie, Gérard, le frère de Sylvie, est devenu mon beau-frère.
When I married Sylvia, her brother Gerard became my brother-in-law.

brother-in-law

nom masculin (mari d'un membre de sa fratrie)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Paul est devenu mon beau-frère le jour de son mariage avec ma sœur.
Paul became my brother-in-law on the day he married my sister.

half-brother

nom masculin (lié par un seul parent)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon père et sa seconde femme ont eu un fils, Mathieu qui est mon demi-frère.
My Father and his second wife had a son, Mathieu, who is my half-brother.

traitor

nom masculin ([qqn] qui se désolidarise)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Je ne veux plus jamais parler à ce faux frère !

younger brother

nom masculin (frère puîné)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon frère cadet a 2 ans de moins que moi.

half-brother

nom masculin (frère de même père)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les frères consanguins ne sont pas rares dans les familles recomposées.

brother in arms

nom masculin (camarade de guerre)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

brother in misfortune

nom masculin (compagnon de misère)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

foster brother

nom masculin (enfant nourri au même sein)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

blood brother

nom masculin (frère par serment)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Frère Jacques

nom propre (comptine enfantine) (French nursery rhyme)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

twin brother

nom masculin (frère d'une grossesse commune)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Gaël ne s'entend pas avec son frère jumeau.

big brother

nom masculin (frère plus âgé) (informal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Son grand frère est mon meilleur ami.

little brother, younger brother

nom masculin (frère plus jeune)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'accompagne mon petit frère à l'école tous les jours.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of frère in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.