Not sure how to talk about your family members en español?
In this episode of Speaking Spanish for Beginners Podcast, you’ll learn the most common vocabulary for family members in Spanish.
Plus, you’ll get a listening activity to practice your “familia” Spanish vocabulary in context.
Ready? ¡Vamos!
Join our FREE 5-Day Spanish Course!
Ready to start learning Spanish but not sure where to begin?
Subscribe to Latin ELE’s newsletter and get access to Spanish Kickstart—a 5-day course with videos, study guides, and daily tips to help you start strong.
Unsubscribe anytime. No hard feelings
Family Members in Spanish
In Spanish, family is la familia. And knowing how to talk about your relatives is a great way to connect with others.
Latinos love to talk about their family (or as they say, parientes) and how things are going en la familia.
Let’s dive in! Here’s a list of family member words in Spanish, organized by groups.
Nuclear Family
- padre = father (also “papá”)
- madre = mother (also “mamá”)
- padres = parents
- hijo / hija = son / daughter
- hijos / hijas = children
- hermano / hermana = brother / sister
Extended Family Members
- abuelo / abuela = grandfather / grandmother
- tío / tía = uncle / aunt
- primo / prima = cousin
- sobrino = nephew
- sobrina = niece
The “In-laws” in Spanish
- suegro / suegra = father-in-law / mother-in-law
- cuñado / cuñada = brother-in-law / sister-in-law
- yerno = son-in-law
- nuera = daughter-in-law
Possessive Adjectives
To show who is related to who, you’ll need possessive adjectives. Here’s a quick list with English equivalents:
mi / mis = my (singular / plural)
tu / tus = your (singular / plural)
su / sus = his, her (singular / plural)
Examples:
Mi hermano es más joven que yo. (My brother is younger than me.)
¿Cómo se llama tu hermana? (What’s your sister’s name?)
Dialogue Transcript
Let’s practice! In the listening activity, two amigos talk about their family members.
If the audio feels too fast, you can follow along with the transcript provided.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Marco: Jessica, ¿cómo se llaman tus padres? | Marco: Jessica, what are your parents’ names? |
| Jessica: Mi padre se llama Javier y mi madre, Estela. | Jessica: My father’s name is Javier and my mother’s is Estela. |
| Marco: ¿Y tus hermanas? | Marco: And your sisters? |
| Jessica: Mi hermana del medio se llama Sara y la menor se llama Angélica. Yo soy la mayor. | Jessica: My middle sister’s name is Sara and the youngest is Angélica. I’m the oldest. |
| Marco: ¿Tienes primos? | Marco: Do you have cousins? |
| Jessica: Sí, tengo un primo y una prima. No los veo mucho. | Jessica: Yes, I have one male cousin and one female cousin. I don’t see them much. |
| Marco: ¿Y por qué? ¿Son antipáticos? | Marco: And why? Are they unfriendly? |
| Jessica: No, simplemente no tenemos una relación cercana. | Jessica: No, we just don’t have a close relationship. |
Time to Practice!
Now that you know the main family member words in Spanish, it’s time to put them into action.
Try this practice activity: match the Spanish family words with their English equivalents.
And now that you’ve learned family vocabulary, go out there and chat about la familia with your amigos!
👉 Still not sure where to start your Spanish journey? Join my FREE course, Spanish Kickstart: Your first five lessons en español.
¡Hasta la próxima!
Marco Fierro — Spanish G.O.A.T. Maestro
¡Hola! I’m an enthusiastic Spanish teacher passionate about making my language accessible to YOU.
When I’m not teaching, I love traveling and rocking out on my electric guitar.
Let’s have fun learning ESPAÑOL together. ¡Vamos!
