Family Members in Spanish (pt. 1) – Lesson 68

Family members in Spanish: part 1

New blue vocabulary topic: the family! This topic has 3 parts. As always, you can skip blue lessons that aren’t useful for you. But honestly, I think everyone should know at least this first part: the basics like mother, father, brother and sister.

The parents

Notice: los padres means “the parents”, even though padre is “father”. In everyday speech you’ll also hear mamá and papá (mom and dad), with the stress on the last syllable.

Son and daughter

Change the -o to -a, and el to la: el hijo becomes la hija. The h is silent: “EE-ho”, “EE-ha”.

Brother and sister

You’ve probably heard hermano before! Just like “bro” in English, people use hermano (or the short mano in parts of Latin America) for a close friend too.

The grandparents

Written with a b: a-b-u-e-l-o. Grandma and grandpa are often la abuelita and el abuelito: the -ito makes it sweet and affectionate.

The grandchildren

Mixed groups: always masculine

Here’s something important: when a group has both men and women, Spanish uses the masculine plural. So:

• los padres = the father and the mother (the parents)
• los hijos = sons, or sons and daughters (the children)
• los hermanos = brothers, or brothers and sisters (the siblings)
• los abuelos = grandparents
• los nietos = grandchildren

Talking about your family

Mi = my, mis = my (plural). And remember: age uses tener.

Recap: family members (part 1)

Spanish	English
los padres	the parents
la madre / el padre	the mother / the father
el hijo / la hija	the son / the daughter
el hermano / la hermana	the brother / the sister
los abuelos	the grandparents
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■

+ 3 more words & phrases

Get all 8 words & phrases on one printable page, with examples and my tips. Free, straight to your inbox.

Get the free PDF ↓

Practice: your family

Say it out loud first, then click to check.

1. How do you say “my mother”?

Mi madre (or mi mamá).

2. Say “I have a sister”.

Tengo una hermana.

3. Say “I have two brothers”.

Tengo dos hermanos.

4. Say “My parents live in Spain”.

Mis padres viven en España.

5. Your grandfather’s daughter is your…

madre (or your tía, aunt: that’s for part 2!)

6. Your parents’ son is your…

hermano (or you!)

Quiz: family members (part 1)

8 questions. ¡Vamos, familia!

Before you go to the next lesson

Practice by describing your own family: Tengo… hermanos, mis padres se llaman… Grab the free reference sheet below, and see you in part 2!