19 Vocabulario: la familia
Being able to talk about your family and ask others about theirs is a great way to initiate conversations. A few things to keep in mind: frequently, the difference between a male and female family member is reflected with the final vowel change from “o” to “a”: change “hijo = son” to “hija = daughter”. When the plural forms are used, the meaning typically includes both male and female: “los hijos = children” and “los padres = parents” (and not “fathers” plural).
Visit la familia to hear the pronunciation for family members (from Spain).
(http://www.languageguide.org/spanish/vocabulary/family/)
La familia
| los miembros de la familia | family members |
|---|---|
| el abuelo / la abuela | grandfather / grandmother |
| los abuelos | grandparents |
| el bebé / la bebé | baby |
| los bisabuelos | great-grandparents |
| el cuñado / la cuñada | brother-in-law / sister-in-law |
| el esposo / la esposa | husband / wife |
| el gemelo / la gemela | twin |
| el hermano / la hermana | brother / sister |
| el hermanastro / la hermanastra | stepbrother / stepsister |
| el hijo / la hija | son / daughter |
| el hijastro / la hijastra | stepson / stepdaughter |
| la madre / la mamá | mother/ mom |
| la madrastra | stepmother |
| el medio hermano / la media hermana | half-brother / half-sister |
| el nieto / la nieta | grandson / granddaughter |
| el novio / la novia | boyfriend / girlfriend |
| la nuera | daughter-in-law |
| el padre / el papá | father / dad |
| el padrastro | stepfather |
| los padres | parents |
| los parientes | family members |
| el primo / la prima | cousin |
| el suegro / la suegra | father-in-law / mother-in-law |
| el sobrino / la sobrina | nephew / niece |
| el tío / la tía | uncle / aunt |
| el yerno | son-in-law |
Frases útiles (useful phrases)
| ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes? | How many brothers and sisters do you have? |
| ¿Dónde vive(n) tu(s)…? | Where do (does) your…live? |
| ¿Dónde vive(n) su(s)…? | Where do (does) your…live? (using Ud. form) |
| ¿Quién es mayor? | Who’s older? |
| ¿Quién es el mayor (la mayor)? | Who’s the oldest? |
| ¿Quién es menor? | Who’s younger? |
| ¿Quién es el menor (la menor)? | Who’s the youngest? |
| Es el benjamín de la familia. | He’s the baby of the family. |
| Es la benjamina de la familia. | She’s the baby of the family. |
| El hijo / la hija del medio | Middle child |
| ¿Cómo es tu (su)…? | What’s your…like? |
| ¿Cuántos años tiene…? | How old is…? |
¿Cómo se dice…?:
Now you try out some phrases: use the family vocabulary from the chart above to express the following. You may have to review regular -ar ending verbs.
Vocabulary: viven = live; conmigo = with me; asiste a = attends; universidad = college;
- My grandparents live in California.
- My boyfriend’s sister works with me.
- Do your children study a lot? (talking to a friend)
- Her sister attends college.
- His aunt and uncle are visiting tomorrow.
- Does your grandmother cook well? (talking to fiend)
- What does your daughter need?
- Where are your parents traveling to?
- Who is your brother dancing with?
- My cousins Susan and Sarah don’t speak Spanish.
Traducciones:
- Mis abuelos viven en California.
- La hermana de mi novio trabaja conmigo.
- ¿Estudian mucho tus hijos?
- Su hermana asiste a la universidad.
- Sus tíos visitan mañana.
- ¿Cocina bien tu abuela?
- ¿Qué necesita tu hija?
- ¿Adónde viajan tus padres?
- ¿Con quién baila tu hermano?
- Mis primas Susan y Sarah no hablan español.
Grammar details:
#1 from above: Mis abuelos viven en California.
Notice “mi” meaning “my” is pluralized to “mis”, which agrees with “abuelos” (plural).
#2 from above: La hermana de mi novio trabaja conmigo.
Spanish doesn’t use apostrophes to express possession, so “my boyfriend’s sister” has to sound like “the sister of my boyfriend”.
#3 from above: ¿Estudian mucho tus hijos?
Typically, to form a question, the subject “tus hijos” will follow the verb “estudian”, although it’s not incorrect to say “Tus hijos estudian mucho?” You could also end the question with “mucho”: ¿Estudian tus hijos mucho?
#5 from above: Sus tíos visitan mañana.
The plural form “tíos” can mean both aunt and uncle. You could also say “Los tíos de él” to express “his aunt and uncle” and then there is no ambiguity caused by the use of “su” (which could also mean “her” and “your”).
#8 and # 9 from above: ¿Adónde viajan tus padres? / ¿Con quién baila tu hermano?
Prepositions such as “to” and “with” cannot end a question in Spanish—they appear before the question word.
#10 from above: Mis primas Susan y Sarah no hablan español.
The feminine “primas” must be used referring to two females.