Learn how to talk about your family in Spanish. From family members to extended family, discover how to have a conversation in Spanish about your family (la familia.) ❤️

It’s one of those subjects that will pop up in conversations, especially when traveling to Spanish-speaking countries. Family ties are important, and once you get close to someone, you’ll likely have the chance to meet their cousins, uncles, aunts, and other relatives of their extended family. A bit of Spanish will go a long way.

How to say family in Spanish

Family in Spanish is la familia, a feminine noun pronounced fah-MEE-lyah. Let’s go more in-depth and learn the different categories of family in Spanish:

• Immediate/close family – la familia inmediata or la familia directa
• Extended family – la familia extendida or los parientes lejanos
• Stepfamily – la familia ensamblada or la familia reconstituida
• Foster family – la familia adoptiva
• In-laws – la familia política

How do you say my family in Spanish

If you want to talk about your family in Spanish, you need to know how to use possessive adjectives. Possessives are the equivalent of “my” and “your” in English. So in Spanish, you’ll say:

• My family – mi familia
• (Singular) Your family – tu familia
• His/her/their family – su familia
• Our family – nuestra familia
• (Plural) Your family – vuestra familia

You can learn more about possessive adjectives here.

Let’s talk about family members in Spanish

Now that you know how to say “family,” let’s go over some common family vocabulary in Spanish. First of all, el miembro de la familia or la miembro de la familia is “family member,” and el pariente or la parienta means “relative” in Spanish. See below how to say family members in Spanish.

Family members in Spanish

Here’s all the family vocabulary you’ll need to know to make small talk in Spanish. From close (or immediate family) to in-laws and godparent family, you will be covered and ready to start any conversation in Spanish. Let’s delve into:

Close family

• los padres/los papás (parents)
• la madre (mother)
• la mamá (mom)
• el padre (father)
• el papá (dad)
• la hermana (sister)
• el hermano (brother)
• los hermanos (siblings) – The plural of “sibling” in Spanish is “hermanos,” whether you’re referring to brothers, or brothers and sisters. If you’re referring to sisters only, then it’s las hermanas.
• la hija (daughter)
• el hijo (son)
• los hijos (children)
• la esposa/la marida (wife)
• el esposo/el marido (husband)
• el/la bebé (male/female baby)
• el niño/la niña (male/female child)

By the way, if you have an older sister or brother, say la hermana mayor (older sister) or el hermano mayor (older brother.) If they are younger than you, in Spanish it’ll be la hermana menor (younger sister) and el hermano menor (younger brother.) For example, Tengo tres hermanos. Dos hermanas menores y un hermano mayor. (I have three siblings. Two younger sisters and one older brother.)

Extended family and relatives

• los parientes (relatives)
• los parientes lejanos (extended family)
• la abuela (grandmother)
• el abuelo (grandfather)
• los abuelos (grandparents)
• la nieta (granddaughter)
• el nieto (grandson)
• los nietos (grandchildren)
• el bisnieto (great-grandson)
• la bisnieta (great-granddaughter)
• la tía (aunt)
• el tío (uncle)
• los tíos (aunts and uncles)
• el primo/la prima (male/female cousin)
• el primo segundo/la prima segunda (second male/female cousin)
• el sobrino (nephew)
• la sobrina (niece)
• el bisabuelo (great-grandfather)
• la bisabuela (great-grandmother)

Stepfamily

• el padrastro (stepfather)
• la madrastra (stepmother)
• el hijastro (stepson)
• la hijastra (stepdaughter)
• el hermanastro (stepbrother)
• la hermanastra (stepsister)
• el medio hermano (half brother)
• la media hermana (half sister)

In-laws

• la suegra (mother-in-law)
• el suegro (father-in-law)
• el cuñado (brother-in-law)
• la cuñada (sister-in-law)
• el concuñado (husband of one’s spouse’s sister)
• la concuñada (wife of one’s spouse’s brother)
• el consuegro (father-in-law of one’s son or daughter)
• la consuegra (mother-in-law of one’s son or daughter)
• la nuera (daughter-in-law)
• el yerno (son-in-law)

God family/Godparent family

• el padrino (godfather)
• la madrina (godmother)
• el ahijado (godson)
• la ahijada (goddaughter)
• el compadre (godfather to one’s child)
• el comadre (godmother to one’s child)

Here’s a chart you can download to practice your Spanish family vocabulary wherever you are:

Gender in Spanish

When you’re talking about family in Spanish, keep in mind that Spanish is a gendered language, meaning each noun is either female or male: for example, la hermana (sister) and el hermano (brother.) If you’re talking about a group of people that includes males, Spanish defaults to the male gender, even if there’s only one male in the whole group: “siblings” becomes los hermanos (unless all your siblings are females, then it’s las hermanas,) “parents” becomes los padres, “children” becomes los hijos.

Other family-related terms in Spanish

Beyond talking about your family members in Spanish, there are many other family-related terms worth knowing. Whether you’re talking about your family or anyone else’s family, this Spanish vocabulary will help you express more naturally.

• La familia nuclear (nuclear family)
• Hijo único/Hija única (only child)
• Hijo de en medio (middle child)
• Primogénito (eldest child)
• Gemelos/mellizos (identical twins)
• Cuates (non-identical twins)
• Huérfano (orphaned)
• Madre subrogada (surrogate mother)
• Mamá adoptiva (foster mom)
• Papá adoptivo (foster dad)
• Adoptado (adopted)
• Hijo adoptivo/hija adoptiva (foster son/daughter)
• Novia/novio (girlfriend/boyfriend)
• Prometido/Prometida (fiancé/fiancée)
• Comprometidos (engaged)
• Casados (married)
• Divorciados (divorced)
• Viudo/viuda (widow)

Have a conversation about family in Spanish

Let’s imagine you are hanging out with your friends and suddenly the subject of family pops up. Learn how to have a conversation about family in Spanish, and how to ask the right questions. Even though it’s small talk, it’s an easy way of improving your Spanish skills and making a good impression.

• Describe tu familia. (Describe your family.) 
• En mi familia hay… (In my family there is…)
• Mi árbol genealógico es bastante grande. Tengo muchos parientes en ambos lados de la familia. (My family tree is quite extensive. I have many relatives on both sides of the family.)
• ¿Cómo están tus papás? (How are your parents?)
• ¡Están muy bien! ¿Qué tal los tuyos? (They’re doing great! What about yours?)
• ¿Cómo se llama tu madre? (What’s your mother’s name?) 
• Él/ella se llama… (His/her name is…)
• ¿Tienes hermanos? (Do you have any siblings?)
• Tengo tres hermanas. (I have three sisters.)
• Mi hermana mayor tiene 29 años. (My older sister is 29 years old.)
• Mi hermano es solo dos años mayor que yo. (My older brother is only two years older than me.)
• ¿Eres hijo único? (Are you an only child?)
• No, tengo dos hermanos y una hermana. ¿Y tú? (No, I have two brothers and one sister. What about you?)
• Tengo un hermano gemelo, y ¡mi tía tuvo trillizos! (I have a twin brother, and my aunt had triplets!)
• Yo solo tengo una hermana menor. ¿Eres el hermano mayor? (I only have a younger sister. Are you the elder brother?)
• No, soy el de en medio. (No, I’m the middle child.)

More Spanish phrases about family:

• ¿En qué trabaja él/ella? (What does he/she do for work?)
• ¿Qué hace tu hijo? (What does your son do?)
• ¿Cómo es tu abuela? (What’s your grandmother like?)
• ¿Te cae bien tu padrino? (Do you like your godfather?) 
• Si, mi… es divertido. (Yes, my… is fun.)
• ¿Cuántos primos tienes? (How many cousins do you have?) 
• Tengo doce primos en total. (I have 12 cousins in all.)
• ¿Cuántos años tienen tus hijos? (How old are your kids?) 
• Mi hija tiene 2 años y mi hijo tiene 5 años. (My daughter is 2 years old and my son is 5 years old.)
• ¿Dónde vive tu sobrina? (Where does your niece live?) 
• ¿Dónde viven tus nietos? (Where do your grandchildren live?)
• ¿Tiene hijos él/ella? (Does he/she have children?)
• ¿Cuánto tiempo llevan casados? (How long have you been married?)
• Ya llevamos dos años de casados. (We have been married for two years now.)
• ¿Planean tener hijos? (Do you plan on having children?)
• Si, queremos tener tres hijos. (Yes, we want to have three kids.)

Now you can talk about your family in Spanish! There’s one last thing left: How do you say “I love you” or “I miss you” in Spanish? If you want to say “I love my family”, go with Quiero a mi familia or Amo a mi familia. Practice your newly learned family vocabulary next time you’re having a conversation in Spanish. 🫶