Spanish Lesson (23): Family ~ La Familia

The Family – La Familia is a part of our everyday life and a very useful Spanish lesson to take as well. Today we’re all about the family. We’ll cover vocabulary for family members and then we’ll focus on how to describe your own family too.

With Mother’s Day coming up (for many) on Sunday, I think the best word to start with is

Mother | Mom |Mummy:  Madre | Mamá | Mami

(although that last one has different meanings depending on context and where the speaker is from!)

Vocabulary for Family Connections

Mother Madre
Father Padre
Sister Hermana
Brother Hermano
Grandmother Abuela
Grandfather Abuelo
Great Grandmother Bisabuela
Great Grandfather Bisabuelo
Granddaughter Nieta
Grandson Nieto
Aunt Tia
Uncle Tio
Cousin Primo/ a
Stepfather Padrastro
Step Mother Madrastra
Stepson Hijastro
Stepdaughter Hijastra
Step brother/ sister Hermanastro/ a
Half brother/ sister Medio hermano/ a
Father-in-law Suegro
Mother-in-law Suegra
Sister-in-law Cuñada
Brother-in-law Cuñado
Niece Sobrina
Nephew Sobrino
Godfather Padrino
Godmother Padrina
Godchild Ahijado/ a
Twin Gemelo/ a
Pet Mascota

Bonus words

mayor: older/ oldest

menor: younger

¿Cuál es tu estado civil? – What is your marital status?

A favourite question for my abuela to ask her single grandchildren, is “When are you getting married?” I’m sure she’s not the only one who bombards her nietos with that question! Let’s discuss marital status in Spanish. Good questions to ask your potential dates too!

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¿Estás casado/a? – Are you married?

¿Tienes novio / novia? – Do you have a boyfriend/ girlfriend?

Answers to those questions could be…

Sí, estoy casado or No, no estoy casado: Yes, I am married / No, I am not married

Sí tengo novio/a | No tengo novio/a: Yes I have a boyfriend/ girlfriend (or No)

Grammatical Note:  Generally, males will use casado and females would describe themselves as casada.

Other answers:

Soy soltero/ a: I am single

Estoy divorciado / divorciada

Estoy separado / separada

Estoy viuda/ viudo (I am a widow/ widower)

Estoy en una unión consensual (I am in a common-law relationship)

Soy madre soltera (I am a single mother)

Soy padre soltero

Practice Exercise

You know family and you know marital status. You also know age, nationalities and professions from earlier lessons. Let’s put it all together in two quick Spanish comprehension passages. I’ll even ask the questions in English and let you answer in English too.

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Hola, me llamo Juan Pablo Guerrero. Soy dominicano y soy profesor. En mi familia hay cuatro personas. Son mi esposa, mis dos hijos y yo. Mi esposa se llama Niala, es cantante. Tiene cuarenta años. Mis hijos se llaman Sebastián y Paco. Son gemelos.

  1. What is the relationship between Juan Pablo and Niala.
  2. What is Juan Pablo’s nationality?
  3. What is the relationship between Sebastián and Paco?

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Hola, soy Isabel Alvarez. Soy chilena. Soy abogada. Estoy casada con Miguel Rámirez. Hay cinco personas en mi familia. Son mi esposo Miguel y nuestros tres hijos. Mi hija mayor se llama Paula y mi hijo menor se llama Nicolás. Mi hijastro se llama Rafael.

  1. What is Isabel’s profession?
  2. Who is Isabel’s husband?
  3. What is the relationship between Paula and Rafael?

Answers: 1. Husband and wife.  2. He’s from the Dominican Republic.  3. Twin brothers.  1. Lawyer.  2. Miguel.  3. Step-siblings.

How did you do in the comprehension? Leave a note in the comments to let me know.

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La familia Vocabulary for The family in Spanish

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2 Comments

  1. Diana Tyler (la muse excentrique) ☕ May 17, 2019 at 3:38 pm

    This lesson brought back some school memories as the family was one of my favorite topic to try and learn in Spanish.

    Reply
    1. K D May 23, 2019 at 9:05 am

      Glad to help you reminisce 😉 🙂

      Reply

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