Family members

Foreign Languages

Definition

Family members vocabulary teaches students the words for relatives such as parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In many languages, family terms reflect cultural distinctions not found in English, such as separate words for maternal and paternal relatives.

Examples

  • Spanish: 'la madre' (mother), 'el padre' (father), 'los hermanos' (siblings).
  • French: 'le frère' (brother), 'la sœur' (sister), 'les grands-parents' (grandparents).
  • Chinese: 爷爷 (yéye, paternal grandfather) vs. 外公 (wàigōng, maternal grandfather) — different words for each side.

Related Terms

Family structures Possessive articles Describing people Possessive de

Study This Concept

Practice family members with free review games in these units:

French 1-2 Unit 2: Family and Descriptions German 1 Unit 3: Family and Friends Mandarin Chinese 1 Unit 3: Family and Friends Spanish 1-2 Unit 2: Family and Descriptions