Family and Relationships (la famille)

Family is central to French culture and society. Being able to talk about your family members, relationships, and important life events is essential for everyday conversation. This lesson covers family vocabulary, possessives, relationship terms, and the language of life events.

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Immediate Family (la famille proche)

French	English	Gender
le père	the father	m
la mère	the mother	f
les parents	the parents	m pl
le fils	the son	m
la fille	the daughter	f
les enfants	the children	m pl
le frère	the brother	m
la sœur	the sister	f
le mari / l'époux	the husband	m
la femme / l'épouse	the wife	f
le bébé	the baby	m

Note: La fille means both "daughter" and "girl." Context makes the meaning clear.

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Extended Family (la famille élargie)

French	English	Gender
le grand-père	the grandfather	m
la grand-mère	the grandmother	f
les grands-parents	the grandparents	m pl
le petit-fils	the grandson	m
la petite-fille	the granddaughter	f
les petits-enfants	the grandchildren	m pl
l'oncle	the uncle	m
la tante	the aunt	f
le cousin / la cousine	the cousin (m/f)	m/f
le neveu	the nephew	m
la nièce	the niece	f
l'arrière-grand-père	the great-grandfather	m
l'arrière-grand-mère	the great-grandmother	f

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In-Laws and Step-Family

French	English
le beau-père	the father-in-law / stepfather
la belle-mère	the mother-in-law / stepmother
le beau-frère	the brother-in-law
la belle-sœur	the sister-in-law
le beau-fils / le gendre	the son-in-law
la belle-fille / la bru	the daughter-in-law
les beaux-parents	the in-laws / step-parents
le demi-frère	the half-brother
la demi-sœur	the half-sister

Note: Beau-père can mean both "father-in-law" and "stepfather." Context determines the meaning.

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Possessive Adjectives with Family

Possessive	Masculine	Feminine	Plural
my	mon	ma	mes
your (tu)	ton	ta	tes
his/her	son	sa	ses
our	notre	notre	nos
your (vous)	votre	votre	vos
their	leur	leur	leurs

Special rule: Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel, use mon/ton/son instead of ma/ta/sa: mon amie (my friend, f), son école (his/her school).

Examples

• Mon père est médecin. — My father is a doctor.
• Ma mère travaille dans une école. — My mother works in a school.
• Mes parents habitent à Lyon. — My parents live in Lyon.
• Son frère est plus âgé que lui. — His brother is older than him.
• Notre grand-mère a quatre-vingts ans. — Our grandmother is eighty years old.
• Leurs enfants sont adorables. — Their children are adorable.

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Relationship Status