Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish

How to say "brother" in Spanish

"Brother" in Spanish is hermano, pronounced ehr-MAH-noh (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a masculine noun (el hermano, plural los hermanos).

Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice. Gender and plural: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

How to pronounce hermano

Hermano is pronounced ehr-MAH-noh, in IPA /eɾˈmano/. Hermano has three syllables, ehr-MAH-noh, with the stress on the second. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a vowel, -n or -s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable.

• H is silent.

Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Is hermano masculine or feminine?

Hermano is masculine, so it takes el (the) and un (a): el hermano. The plural is los hermanos. That fits the usual pattern: most nouns ending in -o are masculine.

Example sentences

Mi hermano mayor
my older brother

Este es mi hermano
This is my brother

Ese es mi hermano.
That is my brother.

"Brother" in Spain and Latin America

Los hermanos means brothers, or brothers and sisters together (siblings).

Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.

How to remember hermano

hermano [ehr-MAH-noh] sounds like the English “Herman, oh”. Picture this:

Herman — oh! — your brother again swapped the sugar for salt and films your face.

A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.

Practice hermano

Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.

Word web: hermano

Words that live next to hermano in the Palabra word web, each with its own English sound-alike and scene. Learning them together makes each one easier to recall.