Family (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes

Family

When learning Spanish, family vocabulary is one of the first topics you'll master. Understanding how to talk about your family members is essential for daily conversations and helps you practice important grammar patterns like gender agreement and possessive adjectives.

Core family vocabulary

Here are the essential family member terms you need to know. Notice how each Spanish noun has a definite article (el/la/los/las) that indicates its gender and number:

Spanish	English
el padre	father
la madre	mother
los padres	parents
el hermano	brother
la hermana	sister
los hermanos	siblings/brothers and sisters
el hijo	son
la hija	daughter
los hijos	children
el abuelo	grandfather
la abuela	grandmother
los abuelos	grandparents
el tío	uncle
la tía	aunt
el primo	male cousin
la prima	female cousin
los primos	cousins

Extended family and relationships

Spanish	English
el marido/el esposo	husband
la mujer/la esposa	wife
el novio	boyfriend
la novia	girlfriend
el nieto	grandson
la nieta	granddaughter
el sobrino	nephew
la sobrina	niece
el yerno	son-in-law
la nuera	daughter-in-law
los suegros	in-laws

Example sentences

Here are practical sentences using family vocabulary that you can adapt for your own conversations:

Grammar focus: Gender patterns

Spanish family nouns follow predictable gender patterns that will help you remember the vocabulary more easily:

Possessive adjectives

When talking about your family, you'll need possessive adjectives. These are crucial because they change depending on who owns something and whether the noun is masculine/feminine, singular/plural:

Example sentences with possessive adjectives

Using 'de' for possession

Another way to show relationships is using de (of/from). This construction is especially useful when you want to be specific about who you're talking about:

Example sentences

Describing your family

Here's useful vocabulary for describing what your family is like and your relationships with family members:

Spanish	English
Mi familia es grande/pequeña	My family is big/small
Mi madre es estricta	My mum is strict
Mi padre es estricto	My dad is strict
Mi hermano está mimado	My brother is spoilt
Mi hermana está mimada	My sister is spoilt
Me llevo bien con mi hermano/a	I get on well with my brother/sister
Peleo mucho con mi hermano/a	I fight a lot with my brother/sister

Phrase bank

These are essential expressions you'll actually use in conversations about family:

Culture spotlight: Spanish royal family

The Spanish royal family provides a real-world example of family vocabulary in use. King Felipe VI (el rey Felipe) is married to Queen Letizia (la reina Letizia). They have two daughters: Leonor, the Princess of Asturias (la Princesa de Asturias), born in 2005, and Sofía, the Infanta (la Infanta Sofía), born in 2007. Felipe's parents are Juan Carlos and Sofía - they are the grandparents (los abuelos) of Leonor and Sofía.

Translation practice

Test your understanding with these translation exercises:

Common errors and fixes

Avoid these frequent mistakes when using family vocabulary: