half-brother
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half-brother
A male relative with whom you share only one parent, either the mother or the father.
Mein Halbbruder und ich haben denselben Vater, aber unterschiedliche Mütter.
My half-brother and I have the same father, but different mothers.
The word is made up of 'halb' (half) and 'Bruder' (brother). The prefix 'halb-' expresses here that the family relationship exists only halfway, since only one parent is shared.
Er hat einen Halbbruder aus der ersten Ehe seines Vaters.
He has a half-brother from his father’s first marriage.
The pattern with the prefix 'halb-' is used for various family members. There is also 'die Halbschwester' (half-sister) and the neutral plural 'die Halbgeschwister' (half-siblings).
Ich verstehe mich sehr gut mit meiner Halbschwester.
I get along very well with my half-sister.
To explain the relationship more precisely, people often use the phrase 'Wir haben denselben Vater' (we have the same father) or 'Wir haben dieselbe Mutter' (we have the same mother).
Mein Halbbruder und ich haben dieselbe Mutter, aber verschiedene Väter.
My half-brother and I have the same mother, but different fathers.
brother
Bruder can also refer to a male sibling who shares only one parent, without highlighting this difference. Halbbruder explicitly makes it clear that the two people share only their mother or only their father. The choice depends on whether this information is important.
Im Stammbaum steht Lukas als mein Halbbruder, weil wir nur dieselbe Mutter haben.
On the family tree, Lukas is listed as my half-brother because we only have the same mother.
Im Alltag nenne ich Lukas einfach meinen Bruder, obwohl wir nur dieselbe Mutter haben.
In everyday conversation, I simply call Lukas my brother, even though we only have the same mother.
