French Phrase
Mes parents, deux frères et sœurs et moi.
Meaning
This phrase lists the members of a nuclear family. In French, there is no single word for siblings, so the phrase 'frères et sœurs' (brothers and sisters) is used to encompass all brothers and sisters collectively.
When to use
Use this phrase when introducing your family members to someone else or describing who lives in your household. It is a common response to the question 'Who is in your family?'
✦Grammar Breakdown
Mes parentsdeuxfrères et sœurset moi
Possessive Adjectives
Mes is the plural form of my. It must agree with the plural noun parents regardless of the speaker's gender.
Siblings in French
Since French lacks a gender-neutral word for siblings, use the fixed expression frères et sœurs to refer to a mixed group.
Stressed Pronouns
The word moi is a stressed pronoun used after conjunctions like et when there is no accompanying verb.
🗨In Conversation
Qui est-ce sur la photo ?
Who is this in the photo?
Mes parents, deux frères et sœurs et moi.
My parents, two siblings, and me.
✕Common Mistakes
Mon parents, deux frères et sœurs et moi.
The noun parents is plural, so you must use the plural possessive adjective mes instead of the singular mon.
Mes parents, deux frères et sœurs et je.
When you are part of a list and the pronoun is not the direct subject of a verb, you must use the stressed pronoun moi instead of je.
↔Alternatives
Ma famille se compose de mes parents, mes frères et sœurs et moi.
My family consists of my parents, my siblings, and me.
Nous sommes cinq : mes parents, mes deux frères et sœurs et moi.
There are five of us: my parents, my two siblings, and me.
Cultural Tip
In French culture, it is considered polite to list yourself last in a sequence of people. Additionally, the phrase 'frères et sœurs' is the standard way to refer to siblings regardless of gender distribution, unless you specifically want to specify only brothers or only sisters.