Family vocabulary in Spanish helps you introduce people, talk about your home, and explain relationships in everyday conversations. Spanish also uses gendered words like padre and madre, so learning the pair together makes the topic much easier.
Close family
Use these words for the people in your immediate family. Notice that many Spanish family words have masculine and feminine forms.
- – Mother
- – Father
- – Parents
- – Son
- – Daughter
- – Brother
- – Sister
- – Baby
- – Child or boy
- Hijo único – Only child
- Hermano mayor – Elder brother
- Hermana menor – Younger sister
Examples:
- Mi madre vive en Madrid. (My mother lives in Madrid.)
- Tengo un hermano y una hermana. (I have one brother and one sister.)
- Ella es hija única. (She is an only child.)
Note: Padres means parents, usually mother and father together. It does not mean relatives. For relatives, use parientes.
Grandparents and grandchildren
These words help you talk about generations in your family.
- – Grandmother
- – Grandfather
- Abuelos – Grandparents
- – Granddaughter
- – Grandson
- Nietos – Grandchildren
- – Great-grandmother
- – Great-grandfather
- Bisabuelos – Great-grandparents
- Antepasado – Ancestor
- Descendiente – Descendant
Examples:
- Mi abuela cocina muy bien. (My grandmother cooks very well.)
- Sus nietos vienen los domingos. (Their grandchildren come on Sundays.)
- Mi bisabuelo era maestro. (My great-grandfather was a teacher.)
Aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces
Spanish often changes the final vowel to show gender: tío is uncle, and tía is aunt. The same pattern appears in primo and prima.
- – Uncle
- – Aunt
- – Male cousin
- – Female cousin
- Primo o prima – Cousin
- – Nephew
- – Niece
- Primo segundo – Second cousin
Examples:
- Mi tío tiene dos hijos. (My uncle has two children.)
- Mi prima estudia arte. (My female cousin studies art.)
- Mi sobrina tiene ocho años. (My niece is eight years old.)
Partner and in-laws
Spanish has specific words for in-laws. You do not add one extra word like English does with in-law; instead, you learn a new family word.
- – Husband
- – Wife
- – Partner
- Cónyuge – Spouse
- Prometido – Fiancé
- Prometida – Fiancée
- – Father-in-law
- – Mother-in-law
- – Son-in-law
- – Daughter-in-law
- – Brother-in-law
- – Sister-in-law
Examples:
- Su esposo trabaja de noche. (Her husband works at night.)
- Mi suegra es muy amable. (My mother-in-law is very kind.)
- Su cuñado vive en Canadá. (His brother-in-law lives in Canada.)
More useful family words
These words help you describe different kinds of family relationships. They are common in real conversations, even if you do not use all of them every day.
- Familia – Family
- Pariente – Relative
- Padrastro – Stepfather
- Madrastra – Stepmother
- Hijastro – Stepson
- Hijastra – Stepdaughter
- Hermanastro – Stepbrother
- Hermanastra – Stepsister
- Medio hermano – Half-brother
- Media hermana – Half-sister
- Padrino – Godfather
- Madrina – Godmother
- Ahijado – Godson
- Ahijada – Goddaughter
- Gemelo – Twin
Examples:
- Tengo una familia grande. (I have a big family.)
- Mi padrino vive cerca. (My godfather lives nearby.)
- Ella tiene una media hermana. (She has a half-sister.)
How to make simple sentences
To talk about family in Spanish, use a possessive word before the family member. The most useful ones are mi, tu, su, nuestro and nuestra.
- Mi madre – My mother
- Tu padre – Your father
- Su hermana – His sister, her sister or their sister
- Mi hermano – My brother
- Nuestros padres – Our parents
- Sus hijos – Their children
You can also use these simple sentence patterns:
- Este es mi... – This is my... for a masculine person
- Esta es mi... – This is my... for a feminine person
- Tengo... – I have...
- Él es mi... – He is my...
- Ella es mi... – She is my...
Examples:
- Este es mi padre. (This is my father.)
- Esta es mi madre. (This is my mother.)
- Tengo dos hijos. (I have two children.)
Common mistakes
Using padres for all relatives
Padres means parents. For relatives in general, use parientes.
- Mis padres – My parents
- Mis parientes – My relatives
Correct: Mis padres viven aquí. (My parents live here.) Correct: Tengo muchos parientes en España. (I have many relatives in Spain.)
Forgetting gender changes
Many Spanish family words change for masculine and feminine forms.
- Hermano – Brother
- Hermana – Sister
- Primo – Male cousin
- Prima – Female cousin
Using hijos only as sons
Hijos can mean children when the group includes sons and daughters, or when gender is not the focus. If you need to be specific, use hijos varones for sons and hijas for daughters.
- Tengo dos hijos – I have two children
- Tengo dos hijas – I have two daughters
With these words, you can introduce your family, describe relationships, and understand simple conversations about home life. Start with short sentences like Esta es mi madre or Tengo un hermano, then add details such as age, city or job.