Family & People

Family is a central topic in everyday conversation. In this lesson you will learn the French words for family members, how to use possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, etc.), and how to talk about your family naturally.

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Core Family Members (La famille)

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 / the girl	f.
les enfants	the children	m. pl.
le frère	the brother	m.
la soeur	the sister	f.
le mari	the husband	m.
la femme	the wife / the woman	f.
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	the cousin (male)	m.
la cousine	the cousin (female)	f.
le neveu	the nephew	m.
la nièce	the niece	f.

Extended Family and In-Laws

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-soeur	the sister-in-law
le beau-fils	the son-in-law / stepson
la belle-fille	the daughter-in-law / stepdaughter
le demi-frère	the half-brother
la demi-soeur	the half-sister

Note: The prefix beau-/belle- is used for both in-laws and step-relatives. Context makes the meaning clear.

Pronunciation Notes

Word	Pronunciation	Note
fils	"feess"	The l is silent, s is pronounced
fille	"fee-yuh"	The ll = "y" sound
femme	"fahm"	The e sounds like "ah" (irregular)
oeil	"uh-yuh"	Irregular pronunciation
les yeux	"lay-ZYUH"	Plural of oeil is completely irregular

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Possessive Adjectives (Les adjectifs possessifs)

Possessive adjectives show ownership. In French, they agree with the thing owned (not the owner).

Full Table

English	Before Masc. Sing.	Before Fem. Sing.	Before Plural
my	mon	ma	mes
your (tu)	ton	ta	tes
his / her / its	son	sa	ses
our	notre	notre	nos
your (vous)	votre	votre	vos
their	leur	leur	leurs

Key Rule: Agreement with the Owned Object

Owner	Object	French	Why
He (Pierre)	his mother	sa mère	mère is feminine
She (Marie)	her father	son père	père is masculine
He (Pierre)	his father	son père	père is masculine
She (Marie)	her mother	sa mère	mère is feminine

Critical Point: Unlike English, French does not distinguish "his" from "her". Son père can mean "his father" OR "her father" depending on context.

Special Rule: Ma/Ta/Sa Before Vowels

Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel or silent h, use mon/ton/son instead of ma/ta/sa for easier pronunciation:

Incorrect	Correct	Meaning
ma amie	mon amie	my (female) friend
ta école	ton école	your school
sa histoire	son histoire	his/her story

Tip: This does not change the gender of the noun — it is purely for pronunciation. Mon amie still refers to a female friend.

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Examples with Family

French	English
mon père	my father
ma mère	my mother
mes parents	my parents
mon frère	my brother
ma soeur	my sister
mes frères et soeurs	my brothers and sisters (siblings)
son fils	his/her son
sa fille	his/her daughter
ses enfants	his/her children
notre grand-père	our grandfather
votre famille	your family
leur maison	their house
leurs enfants	their children

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Talking About Your Family

Useful Structures