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!
¿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.
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.
- What is the relationship between Juan Pablo and Niala.
- What is Juan Pablo’s nationality?
- What is the relationship between Sebastián and Paco?
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.
- What is Isabel’s profession?
- Who is Isabel’s husband?
- 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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This lesson brought back some school memories as the family was one of my favorite topic to try and learn in Spanish.
Glad to help you reminisce 😉 🙂