Your Family & Pets (Leaving Cert German): Revision Notes

Your Family & Pets

Learning to talk about your family and pets is essential for everyday German conversation. This topic covers the key vocabulary and grammar structures you need to describe who's in your family, what they're like, and any pets you might have.

Basic family vocabulary

When talking about family members in German, it's important to learn both the formal and informal terms. Many families use casual names like "Mama" and "Papa" alongside the more formal "Mutter" and "Vater".

German	English
die Mutter/Mütter	mother/mothers
der Vater/Väter	father/fathers
die Mama	mum
der Papa	dad
die Schwester/Schwestern	sister/sisters
der Bruder/Brüder	brother/brothers
der Onkel	uncle
die Tante	aunt
der Großvater	grandfather
der Opa	grandad
die Großmutter	grandmother
die Oma	granny
die Eltern	parents

Here are some example sentences using these family terms:

• Ich habe eine Mutter und einen Vater. (I have a mother and a father.)
• Meine Oma wohnt in München. (My granny lives in Munich.)
• Der Papa ist sehr nett. (Dad is very nice.)

Extended and blended families

Modern families come in many forms, so it's useful to know vocabulary for step-families, half-siblings, and other relationships.

German	English
der Cousin/Cousins	cousin (male)/cousins (male)
die Cousine/Cousinen	cousin (female)/cousins (female)
die Stiefmutter	step-mother
der Stiefvater	step-father
die Stiefschwester	step-sister
der Stiefbruder	step-brother
die Halbschwester	half-sister
der Halbbruder	half-brother
die Pflegemutter	foster mother
der Pflegevater	foster father
keine Geschwister	no brothers or sisters

Example sentences:

• Ich habe einen Stiefbruder und eine Halbschwester. (I have a step-brother and a half-sister.)
• Meine Cousine ist sehr lustig. (My cousin is very funny.)
• Ich bin Einzelkind - ich habe keine Geschwister. (I'm an only child - I have no brothers or sisters.)

Using "haben" to talk about family

The verb "haben" (to have) is your main tool for talking about family members. You need to use the correct indefinite article - "einen" for masculine family members and "eine" for feminine family members.

Examples:

• Ich habe einen Bruder. (I have a brother.)
• Ich habe eine Schwester. (I have a sister.)
• Ich habe zwei Mütter. (I have two mothers.)

When you don't have siblings, you can say:

• Ich habe keine Geschwister. (I have no brothers or sisters.)
• Ich bin Einzelkind. (I am an only child.)

Describing family members in detail

To give more information about your family, you can use verbs like "heißen" (to be called), "sein" (to be), and "wohnen" (to live). Remember to conjugate these verbs properly in the present tense.

Using "heißen" (to be called)

Using "sein" (to be) for age and description

• Mein Vater ist fünfundvierzig Jahre alt. (My father is 45 years old.)
• Meine Brüder sind elf und sechzehn Jahre alt. (My brothers are 11 and 16 years old.)

Using "wohnen" (to live)

• Meine Mutter wohnt in Brighton. (My mother lives in Brighton.)
• Meine Schwestern wohnen in Birmingham. (My sisters live in Birmingham.)

Describing family relationships

To express how well you get along with family members, use the phrase "Ich komme gut/nicht gut mit... aus" (I get/don't get on well with...). You can add "denn" (because) to explain why.

German	English
ich komme gut mit ... aus	I get on well with ...
ich komme nicht gut mit ... aus	I don't get on well with ...
lustig	funny
nett	nice
sympathisch	pleasant
großzügig	generous
ehrlich	honest
nervig	annoying
laut	loud

Example sentences:

• Ich komme gut mit meinem Bruder aus. (I get on well with my brother.)
• Ich komme nicht gut mit meiner Schwester aus, denn sie ist sehr laut. (I don't get on well with my sister because she is very loud.)
• Ich komme gut mit meiner Mama aus, denn sie ist großzügig. (I get on well with my mum because she is generous.)

Basic pet vocabulary

Pets are often considered part of the family, so you'll want to describe them too. Like with family members, you need to pay attention to gender when using "haben" with pets.

After "ich habe" you need:

• einen (masculine)
• eine (feminine)
• ein (neuter)

German	English
der Hund	dog
die Katze	cat
das Kaninchen	rabbit
der Hamster	hamster
die Maus	mouse
das Pferd	horse
das Meerschweinchen	guinea pig

Example sentences:

• Ich habe einen Hund. (I have a dog.)
• Ich habe eine Katze. (I have a cat.)
• Sie hat ein Kaninchen. (She has a rabbit.)
• Ich habe keine Haustiere. (I have no pets.)

Plural pets

When you have more than one pet, German plural forms vary depending on the noun. Most masculine and neuter nouns add "-e", while feminine nouns often add "-n".

German (Plural)	English
die Hunde	dogs
die Katzen	cats
die Kaninchen	rabbits
die Hamster	hamsters
die Mäuse	mice
die Pferde	horses
die Meerschweinchen	guinea pigs
die Spinnen	spiders

Example sentences:

• Ich habe zwei Hunde. (I have two dogs.)
• Ich habe drei Pferde. (I have three horses.)
• Er hat vier Katzen. (He has four cats.)
• Sie hat acht Spinnen. (She has eight spiders.)

Example dialogue

Common mistakes and tips