how many sisters and brothers do you have?

Question

Hi,if someone asks a question like "how many brothers and sisters do you have?", and one answered "I have four brothers".In this case, if the person asking the question, wants to ask "which one of the four", how one should you ask?Is it "Which one of the four brothers are you?"Possible answer might be "I am third one", "I am the oldest", "I am the youngest" etc...Thanks in advance.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

if someone asks a question like "how many brothers and sisters do you have?", and one answered "I have four brothers".

In this case, if the person asking the question, wants to ask "which one of the four", how one should you ask? Well, assuming you are male, there are five brothers in your family, not four.

Is it "Which one of the five brothers are you?" You could answer this question by saying many things, eg I am the tallest one or I am the one who lives in London. If you are asking about order of age, you need to make that clear in some way, eg In order of age, for you and your brothers, which one are you?

In everyday conversation, we tend to ask less precise questions. eg

A: Do you have any brothers?

B: Yes, I have four.

A: Are you the oldest?

B: No, one of them is older than me.

Other possible answers include "I am the third oldest", "I am the oldest", "I am the second youngest" etc...

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

victorycountryHi,
if someone asks a question like "how many brothers and sisters do you have?", and one answered "I have four brothers".
In this case, if the person asking the question, wants to ask "which one of the four", how one should you ask?
Is it "Which one of the four brothers are you?"
Possible answer might be "I am third one", "I am the oldest", "I am the youngest" etc...
Thanks in advance.

how many sisters and brothers do you have?

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