Learn Italian: Abbiamo tre fratelli. - We have three brothers.

Abbiamo tre fratelli.

We have three brothers.

Breakdown of Abbiamo tre fratelli.

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Questions & Answers about Abbiamo tre fratelli.

Does the number tre change if I am talking about sisters instead of brothers?

No, the numbers from 2 to 10 do not change to match the gender of the word they describe. Whether you are saying tre fratelli (three brothers) or tre sorelle (three sisters), the number stays exactly the same as tre. Only the number one (uno or una) changes based on gender.

Where is the word for 'we' in this sentence?

The word for 'we' (noi) is built right into the verb abbiamo. In Italian, the verb ending changes depending on who is doing the action. Since abbiamo specifically means 'we have', adding the word noi is usually unnecessary unless you want to add special emphasis.

Could tre fratelli also mean 'three siblings'?

Yes! In Italian, when you have a mixed group of males and females, the language defaults to the masculine plural. So tre fratelli can either mean three male brothers, or three siblings in general (such as two brothers and one sister).

How do we know fratelli is plural?

Most masculine words in Italian change their ending from -o to -i when there is more than one. Here, the singular word fratello (brother) becomes the plural fratelli (brothers) because there are three of them.