It's your first evening with a host family in Guadalajara, Mexico. Over dinner, your host mother points at the photo on your phone and asks, "¿Quién es?" (Who's that?) Then, "¿Tienes hermanos?" (Do you have any brothers or sisters?) With about fifteen words and one verb, tener, you can answer both questions and ask them back.
Level: A1.
Pairs that change -o to -a
Most family words come in pairs: the masculine form ends in -o and the feminine form in -a.
- el hermano / la hermana (brother / sister)
- el abuelo / la abuela (grandfather / grandmother)
- el hijo / la hija (son / daughter)
- el tío / la tía (uncle / aunt)
- el primo / la prima (cousin)
- el sobrino / la sobrina (nephew / niece)
- el nieto / la nieta (grandson / granddaughter)
A few don't follow the pattern: el padre / la madre (father / mother), papá / mamá (dad / mom), and el padrastro / la madrastra (stepfather / stepmother).
Plurals for mixed groups
When a group has at least one male member, Spanish uses the masculine plural. So los hermanos can mean "brothers" or "brothers and sisters", los hijos can mean "sons" or "children", and los abuelos means "grandparents". Los padres usually means "parents", mother and father together.
That's why "¿Tienes hermanos?" is the normal way to ask about siblings, even if the answer is "Sí, una hermana."
Talking about your family
You only need tener (to have) and a few small words:
- Tengo dos hermanos. I have two brothers (or a brother and a sister).
- No tengo hermanos. Soy hija única. I don't have any brothers or sisters. I'm an only child. (A boy says hijo único.)
- Mi hermano mayor se llama Pablo. My older brother is called Pablo.
- Mis abuelos viven en Texas. My grandparents live in Texas.
Mi (my) goes before one person and mis before more than one: mi tía, mis tías. The possessives deck covers tu, su and the rest.
Mayor (older) and menor (younger) go after the noun: mi hermana menor, my younger sister.
Spanish has no 's, so "my mother's father" becomes el padre de mi madre: the father of my mother.
Partners and in-laws
- el esposo / la esposa: husband / wife. You'll also hear el marido and la mujer (wife).
- la pareja: partner. It's a feminine word whoever your partner is.
- el novio / la novia: boyfriend / girlfriend, and also fiancé(e), or the groom / bride at a wedding.
- el suegro / la suegra: father-in-law / mother-in-law.
- el cuñado / la cuñada: brother-in-law / sister-in-law.
Spain and Latin America
The words above are understood everywhere, but habits differ. In much of Latin America people say mis papás for "my parents" and mi mamá for "my mom" even when talking to people outside the family; in Spain you'll more often hear mis padres and mi madre outside the family. Diminutives such as abuelita (granny) and abuelito (grandpa) are common in many Latin American countries as terms of affection.
Mistakes learners make
- Parientes for "parents". Parientes means relatives. Parents are los padres.
- Dropping the accent on papá. Papá is dad; el papa is the Pope, and in Latin America la papa is a potato.
- Mi with a plural. Say mis hermanos, not "mi hermanos".
- Putting mayor first. The usual order is mi hermano mayor: noun first, then mayor or menor.
- Assuming hermanos means only brothers. It often means brothers and sisters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say family members in Spanish?
The core words are padre, madre, hermano, hermana, abuelo, abuela, hijo, hija, tío, tía, primo and prima. Most change -o to -a for the female form.
How do you say siblings in Spanish?
Los hermanos. The masculine plural covers a mixed group, so it means brothers and sisters together.
What's the difference between padres and parientes?
Padres means parents. Parientes means relatives in general, such as aunts, uncles and cousins.
Is it mi mamá or mi madre?
Both are correct. Mi mamá is warmer and very common in Latin America; mi madre is more neutral and common in Spain.
Try it
Say each card out loud with its el or la before you flip it. Then answer your host mother in Guadalajara: ¿Cómo se dice "I have one sister and two cousins, and my grandparents live with us"?