Family Members Vocabulary

Quick Answer: The core family words in English are mother, father, parents, brother, sister, siblings, son, daughter, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece and nephew. Relatives through marriage add in-law (mother-in-law), and a parent's new spouse takes step (stepmother). Unlike Turkish, English uses one word, aunt, for teyze, hala and yenge, and one word, cousin, for every cousin.

Key takeaways

• Siblings means brothers and sisters together: Do you have any siblings?
• A niece is your brother's or sister's daughter; a nephew is their son.
• Aunt covers Turkish teyze, hala and yenge; uncle covers dayı, amca and enişte.
• The plural of mother-in-law is mothers-in-law: the s goes on the main noun.
• A half-brother shares one parent with you; a stepbrother shares no parent.
• Use the possessive s: my brother's wife, not my brother wife.

Who is in your immediate family?

Your immediate family is the people closest to you.

Word	Meaning	Informal
mother	female parent	mom (US), mum (UK)
father	male parent	dad
parents	mother and father	folks (US, casual)
son	male child
daughter	female child
children	sons and daughters	kids
brother	male sibling	bro (very casual)
sister	female sibling	sis (very casual)
siblings	brothers and sisters
husband	male partner in marriage
wife	female partner in marriage
spouse	husband or wife (formal)

Example sentences:

• "I have two siblings: an older brother and a younger sister."
• "My parents live in Izmir."
• "They have three kids."

Use older and younger to compare siblings: "my older sister". You will also hear big sister and little brother in casual speech. Elder is a formal word: "my elder brother".

What are the extended family words?

Word	Meaning
grandmother / grandma	your parent's mother
grandfather / grandpa	your parent's father
grandparents	grandmother and grandfather
grandson / granddaughter	your child's son or daughter
grandchildren	your child's children
aunt	your parent's sister, or your uncle's wife
uncle	your parent's brother, or your aunt's husband
cousin	your aunt's or uncle's child (male or female)
niece	your brother's or sister's daughter
nephew	your brother's or sister's son
great-grandmother	your grandparent's mother

English has one word, cousin, for both male and female cousins and for both sides of the family. Many languages, including Turkish, have different words for your mother's sister and your father's sister. In English, both are simply aunt. If you need to be specific, say "my aunt on my mother's side" or "my mother's sister".

What are in-laws?

When you marry, your partner's family becomes your in-laws.

• mother-in-law / father-in-law - your spouse's parents
• sister-in-law - your spouse's sister, or your brother's wife
• brother-in-law - your spouse's brother, or your sister's husband
• daughter-in-law - your son's wife
• son-in-law - your daughter's husband

"We're spending the holidays with my in-laws this year."

Step-family and other relationships

When a parent remarries, new family members get the prefix step:

• stepmother / stepfather - your parent's new spouse
• stepson / stepdaughter - your spouse's child from a previous relationship
• stepbrother / stepsister - your step-parent's child

Half-brother and half-sister share one parent with you.

Other useful words:

• partner - someone you live with or are in a relationship with, married or not
• fiancé / fiancée - the person you are engaged to
• ex-wife / ex-husband - former spouse
• twins - two children born at the same time
• only child - a person with no siblings
• relatives / relations - all members of your family
• adopted - "She was adopted when she was two."

How do you describe your family in English?

Useful sentence patterns:

• "There are four people in my family."
• "I'm the oldest / the youngest / the middle child."
• "I'm an only child."
• "My brother is married and has two children."
• "I take after my father." (I am similar to him)
• "I look like my mother." (physical appearance)
• "We're a close family." (we are emotionally close)
• "I get along well with my sister."

Example paragraph:

"I come from a big family. I have two older brothers and a younger sister, so I'm the third child. My grandparents live with us, and my cousins visit almost every weekend. I look like my mother, but I take after my father: we are both very quiet."

To describe how family members feel, see feelings and emotions vocabulary. To describe appearance, see body parts vocabulary.

Questions people ask about family

• "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
• "Are you married?"
• "Do you have kids?"
• "Where does your family live?"
• "Are you close to your family?"

These questions are common in small talk, but questions about marriage and children can feel personal. Short, simple answers are fine.

What mistakes do learners make with family words?

1. "I have three brothers" when you have two brothers and a sister - correct: I have three siblings or two brothers and a sister.
2. "My mother's mother's" - just say my grandmother.
3. "My cousin girl" - say my cousin, or my female cousin if necessary.
4. "Mother-in-laws" - standard plural is mothers-in-law.
5. "How many brothers do you have?" when you mean all siblings - ask Do you have any siblings?
6. Possessive: "my brother wife" - correct: my brother's wife.

Practice quiz

Complete each sentence.

1. My mother's brother is my ___.
2. My sister's son is my ___.
3. My aunt's daughter is my ___.
4. My wife's father is my ___.
5. My father's new wife is my ___.

Answers: 1. uncle 2. nephew 3. cousin 4. father-in-law 5. stepmother

Family words are part of the A1 English level, and they come back in almost every conversation. Practice them with pictures, audio and quick reviews in our A1 course, guided by Sage the Turtle.

People Also Ask

What is the word for brothers and sisters together?

The word is siblings. You can ask Do you have any siblings? and answer Yes, I have one brother and two sisters.

What is the difference between a cousin and a nephew?

A cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle. A nephew is the son of your brother or sister, and a niece is their daughter.

What does in-law mean?

In-law describes family you get through marriage. Your mother-in-law is your husband's or wife's mother, and your brother-in-law is your spouse's brother or your sister's husband.

What is the plural of mother-in-law?

The plural is mothers-in-law, because the main word is mother. In casual speech you may hear mother-in-laws, but mothers-in-law is the standard form.

Related Reading

• Feelings and Emotions Vocabulary
• Body Parts Vocabulary
• How to Make Small Talk in English
• A1 English Level: What You Can Do