Family (la familia) is one of the first topics that comes up in any Spanish conversation. Whether you are filling in a form, chatting with a host family, introducing yourself to a new colleague, or sitting around a dinner table in Spain or Latin America, knowing how to talk about your family is essential. This guide covers every family member, possessive pronouns, and the phrases you need to describe and discuss your family naturally.
Immediate Family (La Familia Inmediata)
| Spanish | English | Example sentence |
|---|
| el padre / la madre | father / mother | Mi padre es médico. Mi madre trabaja en Sydney. |
| los padres | parents | Mis padres viven en Melbourne. |
| el hijo / la hija | son / daughter | Tengo un hijo y dos hijas. |
| los hijos | children (sons/daughters) | ¿Tienes hijos? — Do you have children? |
| el hermano / la hermana | brother / sister | Tengo un hermano mayor. |
| los hermanos | siblings (brothers and sisters) | ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes? |
| el marido / el esposo | husband | Mi marido es australiano. |
| la mujer / la esposa | wife | Su esposa es española. |
| el novio / la novia | boyfriend / girlfriend (also fiancé/e) | Mi novio es de Argentina. |
| la pareja | partner (gender-neutral) | Mi pareja trabaja en tecnología. |
Extended Family (La Familia Extendida)
| Spanish | English |
|---|
| el abuelo / la abuela | grandfather / grandmother |
| los abuelos | grandparents |
| el nieto / la nieta | grandson / granddaughter |
| los nietos | grandchildren |
| el tío / la tía | uncle / aunt |
| el sobrino / la sobrina | nephew / niece |
| el primo / la prima | male cousin / female cousin |
| los primos | cousins |
| el bisabuelo / la bisabuela | great-grandfather / great-grandmother |
| el tatarababuelo | great-great-grandfather |
In-Laws (Los Parientes Políticos)
In Spanish, in-laws are expressed using político/a (literally "political") — a key vocabulary area that many learners miss:
| Spanish | English |
|---|
| el suegro / la suegra | father-in-law / mother-in-law |
| los suegros | in-laws (husband's/wife's parents) |
| el yerno | son-in-law |
| la nuera | daughter-in-suegra |
| el cuñado / la cuñada | brother-in-law / sister-in-law |
| el padrastro / la madrastra | stepfather / stepmother |
| el hijastro / la hijastra | stepson / stepdaughter |
| el hermanastro / la hermanastra | stepbrother / stepsister |
| el medio hermano / la media hermana | half-brother / half-sister |
Describing Your Family
Possessive Adjectives
These are essential for talking about your family members. They agree in gender and number with the noun they describe (the family member), not the speaker:
| Singular (my brother / my sister) | Plural (my brothers / my sisters) |
|---|
| my | mi hermano / mi hermana | mis hermanos / mis hermanas |
| your (tú) | tu padre / tu madre | tus padres |
| his/her/your (usted) | su hijo / su hija | sus hijos |
| our | nuestro abuelo / nuestra abuela | nuestros abuelos / nuestras abuelas |
| your (vosotros) | vuestro tío / vuestra tía | vuestros tíos |
| their/your (ustedes) | su primo / su prima | sus primos |
Talking About Your Family: Essential Phrases
- ¿Tienes hermanos? — Do you have siblings?
- Tengo una hermana mayor y un hermano menor. — I have an older sister and a younger brother.
- Soy hijo/a único/a. — I am an only child.
- ¿Estás casado/a? — Are you married?
- Estoy casado/a, soltero/a, divorciado/a, separado/a, viudo/a. — I am married, single, divorced, separated, widowed.
- ¿Tienes hijos? — Do you have children?
- Tenemos dos hijos — un niño de cinco años y una niña de dos. — We have two children — a five-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl.
- Mis padres están jubilados. — My parents are retired.
- Mi padre trabaja como ingeniero. — My father works as an engineer.
- Mis abuelos maternos viven en España. — My maternal grandparents live in Spain.
- Me llevo muy bien con mi hermana. — I get along very well with my sister.
- Mi familia es muy unida. — My family is very close-knit.
Describing Family Members
- Mi hermano mayor tiene treinta y dos años. — My older brother is thirty-two years old.
- Mi abuela es muy activa para su edad. — My grandmother is very active for her age.
- Me parezco mucho a mi madre. — I look a lot like my mother.
- Mi hijo tiene los ojos de su padre. — My son has his father's eyes.
- Somos una familia numerosa — somos seis hermanos. — We are a large family — there are six of us siblings.
Family Descriptors
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|
| mayor | older / elder | mi hermana mayor — my older sister |
| menor | younger | mi hermano menor — my younger brother |
| pequeño/a | young / little (within the family) | cuando era pequeño — when I was little |
| de mi parte | on my side | por parte de madre — on my mother's side |
| materno/a | maternal | mis abuelos maternos — my maternal grandparents |
| paterno/a | paternal | mi abuelo paterno — my paternal grandfather |
| adoptado/a | adopted | mi hijo adoptado |
| gemelo/a | twin | mi hermana gemela — my twin sister |
| mellizo/a | non-identical twin | |
Family Events and Celebrations
- la boda — wedding
- el bautizo — christening / baptism
- el cumpleaños — birthday
- el aniversario — anniversary
- el funeral — funeral
- la reunión familiar — family reunion / get-together
- la Navidad en familia — Christmas with family
- el embarazo — pregnancy
- el nacimiento — birth
Talking About Family in Past and Future
- Mis abuelos se conocieron durante la guerra. — My grandparents met during the war.
- Mi hermana se casó el año pasado. — My sister got married last year.
- Vamos a tener un bebé en primavera. — We are going to have a baby in spring.
- Mi madre se jubiló hace dos años. — My mother retired two years ago.
- Cuando tenga hijos, quiero vivir cerca de mis padres. — When I have children, I want to live near my parents.
Cultural Notes: Family in Spain and Latin America
Family holds enormous importance in Spanish-speaking cultures. A few things Australian travellers and learners should know:
- Family-first culture: In Spain and most of Latin America, family commitments take precedence over social plans, work events and personal time in ways that may seem unfamiliar to Australians.
- Living at home: Young people in Spain often live with their parents until their late twenties or early thirties — partly economics, partly culture. This is not considered unusual.
- Surnames: Spanish people traditionally use two surnames: the first surname of their father followed by the first surname of their mother. María García López = daughter of a García father and a López mother. In everyday use, only the first surname is typically used.
- Godparents (padrinos): The role of godmother (madrina) and godfather (padrino) is significant in Spanish-speaking cultures — these are not merely ceremonial roles but ongoing family relationships.