Brother-in-law – this refers to the husband or wife’s brother, or simply put, the person who marries your sister. This word describes the familial bond that develops due to marriage, not through kinship. This person might play a crucial role within the family and be considered as one of the close family members in some societies.
Pronunciation Guide for “Brother-in-law” in English
Use these sound labels as your guide.
Audio (UK):
Audio (US):
Say the first part strongly: BRUH-thuh. Pay attention to the final law sound in UK English, /lɔː/, and don’t put a long pause at each hyphen.
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Word Combinations: “Brother-in-law” Collocations
Family-related utterances usually come out best when used alongside common adjectives and common social action verbs. Such combinations make for a more conversational, natural, and culturally appropriate style of speech when speaking English.
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Phrase |
Example |
|---|---|
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my brother-in-law |
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her older brother-in-law |
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future brother-in-law |
I’m meeting my
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ex-brother-in-law |
He still talks to his
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get along with your brother-in-law |
Do you
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invite ones brother-in-law |
We
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Common Mistakes to Avoid with “Brother-in-law”
The term “brother-in-law” creates many misunderstandings since it does not obey grammatical rules that apply to ordinary nouns. Students often have problems forming plurals, possessives, and referring to family relations. This section will give you insight into typical errors and show you how to use this term correctly.
Mistake 1: Incorrect Plural Form
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brothers-in-law
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brother-in-laws
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My brothers-in-law are visiting tonight.
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My brother-in-laws are visiting tonight.
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Both of her brothers-in-law work in finance.
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Both of her brother-in-laws work in finance.
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We invited our brothers-in-law to the wedding.
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We invited our brothers-in-laws to the wedding.
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Their brothers-in-law live abroad.
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Their brother-in-laws live abroad.
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All my brothers-in-law get along very well.
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All my brother-in-laws get along very well.
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Mistake 2: Using the Wrong Possessive Form
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my brother-in-law’s (…)
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my brother-in-laws car (…)
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I borrowed my brother-in-law’s jacket yesterday.
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I borrowed my brother-in-laws jacket yesterday.
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Her brother-in-law’s advice was very helpful.
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Her brother-in-laws advice was very helpful.
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We stayed at my brother-in-law’s house during the trip.
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We stayed at my brother-in-laws house during the trip.
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My brother-in-law’s dog is very friendly.
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My brother-in-laws dog is very friendly.
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They admired their brother-in-law’s new apartment.
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They admired their brother-in-laws new apartment.
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Mistake 3: Confusing Family Relationships
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He is my brother-in-law, not my cousin.
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He is my cousin-in-law.
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My sister’s husband is my brother-in-law.
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My sister’s husband is my cousin-in-law.
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Sarah’s brother-in-law helped us move house.
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Sarah’s family brother helped us move house.
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Her brother-in-law works at the same company as she does.
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Her marriage brother works at the same company as she does.
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I met my brother-in-law for dinner last weekend.
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I met my law brother for dinner last weekend.
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Their brother-in-law joined the family vacation.
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Their in-law brother joined the family vacation.
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In compound family nouns like “brother-in-law,” the main noun changes form, not the entire phrase. That’s why we say “brothers-in-law” instead of “brother-in-laws.”
Natural Words Used Around “Brother-in-law”
The phrase “brother-in-law” is just a noun (a family relationship term), and English does not normally create related adjectives or verbs from it. Use natural adjectives and verbs around it.
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Word or phrase |
Type |
Example |
|---|---|---|
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kind |
adjective |
My
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friendly |
adjective |
Her
|
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annoying |
adjective |
His
|
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supportive |
adjective |
I have a
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meet |
verb |
I
|
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visit |
verb |
We
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Translating “Brother-in-law” into Other Languages
Discover how this family-related noun is spelt and pronounced in languages like German, French and Spanish. Listen and repeat.
| Language | Word for “Brother-in-law” |
|---|---|
Spanish
|
Cuñado |
French
|
Beau-frère |
German
|
Schwager |
