01
der Schwager
brother-in-law
The male person who is either the brother of one's spouse or the husband of one's sister.
example
Mein Schwager und ich verstehen uns sehr gut.
My brother-in-law and I get along very well.
der Schwager
brother-in-law
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Schwager' (brother-in-law) belongs to the word family of relatives by marriage. Other members are 'die Schwägerin' (sister-in-law) and 'die Schwiegereltern' (parents-in-law).
EXAMPLE
An Weihnachten besuchen wir immer meine Schwiegereltern.
At Christmas, we always visit my parents-in-law.
Two possible relationships
The word describes two different family relationships: it can be your partner's brother or your sister's husband.
EXAMPLE
Der Bruder meiner Frau ist mein Schwager.
My wife's brother is my brother-in-law.
Use with possessive pronouns
Since it describes a personal relationship, 'Schwager' (brother-in-law) is almost always used with a possessive pronoun such as 'mein' (my), 'dein' (your), or 'ihr' (her/their).
EXAMPLE
Mein Schwager kommt am Wochenende zu Besuch.
My brother-in-law is coming to visit this weekend.
Compare with
Schwager vs Bruder
brother
'der Bruder' and 'der Schwager' both refer to male people in the family. The important difference is the type of relationship. A 'Bruder' belongs to your family of origin: you have the same parents or one parent in common. A 'Schwager' becomes part of the family through marriage: for example, he is the brother of your wife or the husband of your sister. Learners may confuse the words because both often come up at family celebrations or in conversations about relatives. As a simple guide: 'Bruder' is directly related, while 'Schwager' is added through marriage.
Schwager
Am Wochenende besuchen wir meinen Schwager und meine Schwester.
This weekend we are visiting my brother-in-law and my sister.
Bruder
Mein Bruder hat mir beim Umzug geholfen.
My brother helped me with the move.
In real life
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