Family members and vocabulary in Spanish Share Copied!
Spanish
Learn the core and extended family terms in Spanish, understand gender and plural forms, and use possessive pronouns with family members.
Video
Podcast
Family Members in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Padre | Father |
| Madre | Mother |
| Hermano | Brother |
| Hermana | Sister |
| Abuelo | Grandfather |
| Abuela | Grandmother |
| Primo | Cousin (masculine) |
|
When talking about more than one family member, you need the plural form. For example: |
|
| Prima | Cousin (feminine) |
| Tío | Uncle |
| Tía | Aunt |
In Spanish, all nouns have a gender, and this gender affects the articles.
We say “el hermano” because it is masculine.
Dialogue on family members
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuál es el nombre de tu padre? | What is your father's name? |
| Mi padre se llama Pedro. ¿Y tu madre? | My father is called Pedro. And your mother? |
| Mi madre se llama Ana. | My mother is called Ana. |
| ¿Tienes hermanos? | Do you have brothers? |
| Sí, tengo un hermano y una hermana. ¿Y tú? | Yes, I have a brother and a sister. And you? |
| Yo tengo dos hermanas. | I have two sisters. |
| ¿Cómo se llama tu prima? | What's your cousin's name? |
| Mi prima se llama Julia. | My cousin's name is Julia. |
| ¿Y tu tío? | And your uncle? |
| Mi tío se llama Juan. | My uncle's name is Juan. |
Family Vocabulary in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Sobrino | Nephew |
|
When referring to family members, it's common to use possessive pronouns. |
|
| Sobrina | Niece |
| Nieto | Grandson |
| Nieta | Granddaughter |
| Suegro | Father-in-law |
| Suegra | Mother-in-law |
| Cuñado | Brother-in-law |
| Cuñada | Sister-in-law |
| Yerno | Son-in-law |
| Nuera | Daughter-in-law |
Nouns in Spanish can be pluralized, usually by adding an “s” at the end.
For example: “Tengo cinco nietos” => I have five grandchildren
Dialogue on family vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Quién es él? | Who is he? |
| Él es mi sobrino. | He's my nephew. |
| ¿Y la chica? | And the girl? |
| Ella es mi nieta. | She's my granddaughter. |
| ¿Cómo se llaman tus suegros? | How are your parents-in-law called? |
| Se llaman Jesús y María. | They are called Jesús and María. |
| ¿Quién es el hombre? | Who is the man? |
| Él es mi yerno. | He is my son-in-law. |
Key takeaways
Here is a quick summary of this lesson.
- Family terms have gender and change to plural forms, such as "primo" (cousin) to "primos."
- Common use of possessive pronouns with family members, like "mi sobrino" (my nephew) and "mis abuelos" (my grandparents).
Exercises
