Family Vocabulary

Why This Matters

"Do you have family here?" "Tell me about your family." These questions come up in every language learning conversation — and in real French life too. Learn these words and you can talk about the people who matter most to you.

🦝 Remy says: "In France, family is everything — la famille, it's sacred. Knowing these words isn't just grammar, it's how you connect with French people on a personal level. Let's meet the family!"

La Famille Immédiate — Immediate Family

| French | Article | English | Informal | |

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| | le père | le | father | papa | | la mère | la | mother | maman | | le frère | le | brother | — | | la sœur | la | sister | — | | le fils | le | son | — | | la fille | la | daughter | — | | les parents | les | parents | — | | les enfants | les | children | — |

Note: les parents can also mean relatives in a broader sense.

La Famille Élargie — Extended Family

| French | English | French | English | |

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| | le grand-père | grandfather | la grand-mère | grandmother | | le petit-fils | grandson | la petite-fille | granddaughter | | l'oncle | uncle | la tante | aunt | | le cousin | male cousin | la cousine | female cousin | | le neveu | nephew | la nièce | niece | | le mari | husband | la femme | wife | | le beau-père | stepfather / father-in-law | la belle-mère | stepmother / mother-in-law |

Papy and mamie are the warm, affectionate terms for grandpa and grandma — the French equivalent of "gramps" and "nan."

Describing Your Family

Use avoir (to have) to describe who you have:

• J'ai un frère et deux sœurs. [zhay uN frair ay duh sair] — I have one brother and two sisters.
• Je n'ai pas de frères. [zhuh nay pah duh frair] — I don't have any brothers.
• Tu as une famille ? [too ah oon fa-mee] — Do you have a family?
• Tu es enfant unique ? [too ay on-fon oo-neek] — Are you an only child?

Talking About Where Family Lives

• Ma mère habite à Paris. — My mother lives in Paris.
• Mes grands-parents habitent à la campagne. — My grandparents live in the countryside.
• Mon frère vit en Espagne. — My brother lives in Spain.

🦝 Remy says: "Don't confuse 'la femme' — it means woman and wife depending on context. 'C'est ma femme' means 'She's my wife.' 'Une femme' means 'a woman.' Same word, different context — pay attention to those small words around it!"

📝 Exercise 1 — Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence with the correct family word.

1. La ______ de mon père, c'est ma grand-mère.
2. Le fils de ma sœur, c'est mon ______.
3. La fille de mon oncle, c'est ma ______.
4. J'ai deux ______ — un garçon et une fille. (children)
5. Mon ______ et ma femme fêtent leur anniversaire de mariage. (husband)

✅ Answers: 1. mère  |  2. neveu  |  3. cousine  |  4. enfants  |  5. mari

📝 Exercise 2 — Make a Sentence

1. Say that you have one sister and no brothers. → J'ai une sœur et je n'ai pas de frères.

2. Say that your grandmother lives in Lyon. → Ma grand-mère habite à Lyon.

3. Say that your uncle and aunt have three children. → Mon oncle et ma tante ont trois enfants.

📝 Exercise 3 — Translate into French

1. my mother → ma mère
2. his grandfather → son grand-père
3. our children → nos enfants
4. her husband → son mari
5. their cousins → leurs cousins

🎯 Today's Challenge

Draw a simple family tree — real or imaginary. Label each person in French with their relationship to you. Try to write at least one sentence about three of them using what you know about AVOIR and descriptions.

⭐ Key Takeaways

• French family terms have masculine and feminine forms — le frère / la sœur, le cousin / la cousine.
• Use J'ai + [family member] to talk about who is in your family.
• La femme means both woman and wife — context tells you which.