der Bruder
brother
A male person who has the same parents or one parent in common with another person.
EXAMPLE
Mein jüngerer Bruder und ich verstehen uns sehr gut.
My younger brother and I get along very well.
der Bruder
brother
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Meanings
der Bruder
brother
A male member of a religious community or order who is not a priest.
EXAMPLE
Bruder Jakob kümmert sich um den Klostergarten.
Brother Jakob takes care of the monastery garden.
der Bruder
brother
A term for a close friend, comrade, or member of a community based on solidarity, used to express connection.
EXAMPLE
Keine Sorge, mein Bruder, ich helfe dir da raus.
Don't worry, my brother, I'll help you get out of this.
Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'brüderlich' (brotherly) and the noun 'die Bruderschaft' (brotherhood) are derived from the noun 'der Bruder' (brother). All these words share the idea of close, loyal connection.
EXAMPLE
Sie teilten das Essen in brüderlicher Eintracht.
They shared the food in brotherly harmony.
Typical collocations
To specify age, you use 'älterer Bruder' (older brother) or 'jüngerer Bruder' (younger brother). In everyday language, 'großer Bruder' (big brother) and 'kleiner Bruder' (little brother) are also very common, often describing the social role as well.
EXAMPLE
Mein großer Bruder hat mir das Fahrradfahren beigebracht.
My big brother taught me how to ride a bike.
Register and style
Using 'Bruder' (brother) to address a friend is very colloquial. It is used almost exclusively among young men to express a close, buddy-like relationship.
EXAMPLE
Was geht, Bruder? Lange nicht gesehen!
What's up, brother? Long time no see!
Context clue
The religious meaning is usually clear from the context. Either the word is used as a title before a name ('Bruder Anton' / Brother Anton), or people are talking about a monastery or an order.
EXAMPLE
Die Mönche nennen sich untereinander Bruder.
The monks call each other brother.
Compare with
Bruder vs Freund
friend / boyfriend
For a very close male friend, „Freund“ is the neutral term. „Bruder“ can also fit, but in that case it signals especially strong informal connection or solidarity within a group. Use „Freund“ neutrally and „Bruder“ when deliberately emphasizing brotherhood and camaraderie.
Bruder
Im Team nennen wir Lukas unseren Bruder, weil wir immer zusammenhalten.
In the team, we call Lukas our brother because we always stick together.
Freund
Lukas ist ein guter Freund von mir, und wir helfen uns oft.
Lukas is a good friend of mine, and we often help each other.
In real life
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