noun
siblings, brothers and sisters
A1
Geschwister means siblings, brothers and sisters. It is a plural-only noun (die Geschwister) with neuter gender historically; there is no common singular. Use plural agreement: Die Geschwister sind..., dative plural Geschwistern. Commonly used for family reference. Not an irregular plural—invariable because singular form is uncommon.
Examples
Ich habe zwei Geschwister, einen Bruder und eine Schwester.
I have two siblings: a brother and a sister.
Die Geschwister treffen sich jedes Jahr.
The siblings meet every year.
Er erzählte von seinen Geschwistern, die seit Jahren in Köln lebten.
He talked about his siblings, who had been living in Cologne for years.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine a group photo labeled 'Geschwister' showing siblings
Geschwister → 'ges-sis-ter' think 'sis' for sister → siblings
das → collective like 'die Geschwister' treated as plural
Notes
Collective plural noun referring to siblings. Often used only in plural form. | Plural-only noun; singular forms are not applicable.