Our Sister in Spanish | Say It Right Every Time

“Our sister” is most often “nuestra hermana,” with “our” matching the noun’s gender and number.

If you’re trying to say “our sister” in Spanish, you’re already close. The phrase is usually simple, yet a few small grammar choices can make it sound natural instead of translated.

You’ll get the best everyday wording, what changes in plural, where little words like a show up, and sentence frames you can reuse without overthinking.

What “our sister” means in Spanish in real sentences

In Spanish, “our” changes form to match the noun that follows it. “Sister” is a feminine noun: hermana. So the default match is nuestra + hermana → nuestra hermana.

That match is about the thing possessed, not the people who possess it. Two brothers talking about their sister still say nuestra hermana because hermana is feminine.

Basic translation you can trust

Our sister → nuestra hermana

It works in most situations: family talk, introductions, and storytelling.

• Nuestra hermana vive cerca. (Our sister lives nearby.)
• Vamos a ver a nuestra hermana. (We’re going to see our sister.)
• Nuestra hermana es médica. (Our sister is a doctor.)

Plural changes the phrase

If you mean more than one sister, the noun becomes plural: hermanas. Then “our” must match that plural, feminine noun: nuestras hermanas.

• Nuestras hermanas llegan mañana. (Our sisters arrive tomorrow.)
• Somos cuatro: mis padres y nuestras hermanas. (We’re four: my parents and our sisters.)

When “sister” is not family

Hermana can refer to a sibling, and it can show up in religious contexts too. If you’re translating a message, a caption, or a document, it helps to confirm which sense is intended before you commit to a tone. The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas: “hermano, hermana” lays out the core meanings and common uses.

Our Sister in Spanish with articles and prepositions

Spanish often uses little connector words more than English. That’s why you’ll see patterns like a nuestra hermana or con nuestra hermana in normal speech. You’re not adding extra meaning. You’re fitting Spanish sentence flow.

Direct object: “to see our sister”

When the sister is the person receiving the action, you’ll often use a because Spanish marks a specific person as the direct object.

• Voy a ver a nuestra hermana.
• Conocimos a nuestra hermana en la estación.
• Llamé a nuestra hermana.

This is the personal a. Once you notice it, you’ll hear it everywhere.

Possessive + family word: article or no article

English often uses “my/our” where Spanish can use an article, depending on the sentence. Both can be correct, with a small shift in feel.

• Mi hermana llega tarde. (My sister is arriving late.)
• La hermana de Ana llega tarde. (Ana’s sister is arriving late.)

With “our sister,” Spanish tends to keep the possessive when you’re identifying whose sister you mean: nuestra hermana. You’ll still see article-based options in some structures, mainly when possession is already obvious from context and you’re describing rather than identifying.

Two easy “our sister” sentence frames

These are simple to reuse in conversation:

1. Subject frame:Nuestra hermana + verb → Nuestra hermana trabaja aquí.
2. Object frame:Verb + a nuestra hermana → Visité a nuestra hermana.

Where “our” changes, and where it doesn’t

People sometimes assume “our” changes with the speakers (“we” as men vs. women). In Spanish, the possessive agrees with the noun, so it won’t change just because the speakers change. What can change is the noun: one sister vs. multiple sisters.

It helps to see how “our” behaves across gender and number in one place. The Centro Virtual Cervantes grammar inventory on possessives lays out these agreement patterns clearly.

Agreement rules for “nuestro/nuestra” without guesswork

Spanish has four short possessive forms for “our,” and they match the noun that follows.

• nuestro + masculine singular noun
• nuestra + feminine singular noun
• nuestros + masculine plural noun
• nuestras + feminine plural noun

If you can spot the noun’s gender and number, you can pick the right possessive fast.

Why it matches the noun, not the owners

Spanish possessives behave like determiners that agree with the thing possessed. That’s why nuestra hermana stays feminine even if the speakers are all men. The RAE grammar section on possessive properties explains how possessives link to grammatical person and how they function inside noun phrases.

Fast checks that catch most mistakes

• If the noun ends in -a, it’s often feminine: hermana → nuestra.
• If the noun is plural, your possessive must be plural too: hermanas → nuestras.
• Gender is not about who owns it. It’s about the noun you’re describing.

Now let’s lock this in with a scan-friendly reference.

English idea	Spanish form	Natural example
Our sister	nuestra hermana	Nuestra hermana canta en un coro.
Our sisters	nuestras hermanas	Nuestras hermanas estudian en Madrid.
Our brother	nuestro hermano	Nuestro hermano trabaja de noche.
Our brothers	nuestros hermanos	Viajamos con nuestros hermanos.
Our mom	nuestra madre	Nuestra madre cocina los domingos.
Our dad	nuestro padre	Nuestro padre vive en otra ciudad.
Our family	nuestra familia	Nuestra familia se reúne en julio.
Our home	nuestra casa	Nuestra casa queda lejos.
Our friends	nuestros amigos	Salimos con nuestros amigos.

Common ways people introduce their sister in Spanish

When you introduce someone, Spanish often uses te presento a… or ella es…. With “our sister,” the possessive stays the same, and you add the personal a when she’s the object of the verb.

Simple introductions

• Te presento a nuestra hermana, Lucía.
• Ella es nuestra hermana.
• Esta es nuestra hermana.

When you name the relationship first

Spanish can place the family word up front, then add a clarifying phrase.

• Nuestra hermana mayor vive en Valencia. (Our older sister lives in Valencia.)
• Nuestra hermana menor todavía está en la escuela. (Our younger sister is still in school.)
• Hoy viene nuestra hermana del medio. (Our middle sister is coming today.)

Talking about “sister” as a title

In religious settings you may hear Hermana used like a title. If you’re translating, verify whether it’s a sibling or a title, then pick the best English match. The RAE student dictionary entry for “hermano, hermana” gives a clean definition and learner-friendly examples.

Natural word order and emphasis when you say “our sister”

Spanish gives you two main possessive styles: the short form before the noun (nuestra hermana) and the longer form after a noun. For most learners, the short form is the right default.

Short form: the everyday choice

Use nuestra hermana when you just want to identify who she is, without putting stress on “ours.” This is the pattern you’ll hear the most.

Long form: used for contrast

Spanish has long possessives (mía, tuya, suya, nuestra) that often show up after the noun, usually with an article: la hermana nuestra. This can sound like contrast or correction, like “our sister, not theirs.” In many everyday settings, it can feel stiff, so it’s better to save it for moments where you’re fixing a mix-up.

• No, es la hermana nuestra, no la suya.

When “our” is better as “de nosotros”

Spanish can express possession with de phrases, like la hermana de nosotros. It’s grammatical, yet it often feels heavy compared with nuestra hermana. It can show up when a sentence already contains another possessive and you want to avoid repetition, or in careful writing where clarity matters more than brevity.

Pattern	When it sounds natural	Example
nuestra hermana	Default phrasing in speech and writing	Nuestra hermana llega a las ocho.
a nuestra hermana	When she’s the person receiving the action	Visité a nuestra hermana.
con nuestra hermana	When you mean “with our sister”	Salimos con nuestra hermana.
para nuestra hermana	When something is intended for her	Esto es para nuestra hermana.
de nuestra hermana	To mark origin or relation	Hablamos de nuestra hermana.
la hermana nuestra	When correcting or contrasting ownership	Es la hermana nuestra.
la hermana de nosotros	When you want extra clarity in a dense sentence	La hermana de nosotros vive lejos.

Mistakes that make “our sister” sound off

Most errors come from agreement or from translating English word order too closely. Here are the ones to watch.

Using the wrong gender on “our”

Nuestro hermana is wrong because hermana is feminine. The fix is simple: nuestra hermana.

Forgetting plural agreement

Nuestra hermanas trips people up because Spanish wants both words in plural: nuestras hermanas.

Dropping the personal “a” with people

In many sentences, Spanish expects a before a specific person as the object. If you write Vi nuestra hermana, it can sound unnatural. The smoother version is Vi a nuestra hermana.

Overusing “de nosotros”

La hermana de nosotros is not “wrong,” yet it can feel like a direct translation. Use it when you have a clear reason. If not, nuestra hermana will usually read better.

Ready-to-use mini scripts for common situations

If you want lines you can plug into conversation, these cover the most common moments: introductions, planning, and telling a story.

Meeting someone

• Esta es nuestra hermana.
• Te presento a nuestra hermana.
• Nuestra hermana se llama Sofía.

Making plans

• Vamos a cenar con nuestra hermana.
• Compré un regalo para nuestra hermana.
• Le escribí a nuestra hermana.

Storytelling

• Cuando éramos niños, nuestra hermana siempre cantaba.
• Un día, nuestra hermana encontró una carta vieja.
• Al final, llamamos a nuestra hermana y nos reímos.

Self-check before you hit send

Use this checklist when you’re writing a message, caption, or translation.

• Is it one sister or more? Choose hermana vs. hermanas.
• Match “our” to the noun: nuestra with hermana, nuestras with hermanas.
• If she’s the person receiving the action, add the personal a: a nuestra hermana.
• If you’re correcting a mix-up, consider the long form: la hermana nuestra.

Once these pieces click, “our sister” stops being a phrase you translate and starts being a phrase you just say.