Tu familia en español: vocabulario esencial y frases A1

Families are one of the easiest and most useful topics in Spanish. In just a few minutes, you’ll learn key words (madre, padre, hermano…), how to say who’s who, and simple sentences like “Tengo dos hermanos” and “Mi madre es profesora.” Let’s make talking about your family feel natural and easy.

Core family words you’ll use every day

Here are the most common family members in Spanish. We’ll use them in examples right away.

  • madre = mother (also: mamá, informal)
  • padre = father (also: papá, informal)
  • hermano = brother / hermana = sister
  • hijo = son / hija = daughter
  • abuela = grandmother / abuelo = grandfather
  • tío = uncle / tía = aunt
  • primo = cousin (male) / prima = cousin (female)
  • padres = parents
  • familia = family (singular noun!)

Try saying your family out loud: “Mi madre, mi padre y mi hermana.”

madre
mother
sustantivo
Mi madre es doctora.
My mother is a doctor.
padre
father
sustantivo
Mi padre trabaja en una oficina.
My father works in an office.
hermano
brother
sustantivo
Tengo un hermano.
I have a brother.
hermana
sister
sustantivo
Mi hermana vive en México.
My sister lives in Mexico.
Spanish
Mi madre y mi padre son muy amables.
My mother and father are very kind.
Spanish
Tengo dos primas y un primo.
I have two female cousins and one male cousin.

Mi se llama Marta.

Possessives: mi, mis, tu, tus, su, sus

To say “my/your/his/her” family members, use these possessives before the noun:

  • mi (my, singular) / mis (my, plural): mi madre, mis padres
  • tu (your, singular) / tus (your, plural): tu hermano, tus abuelos
  • su (his/her/your-formal, singular) / sus (plural): su hija, sus tíos
  • nuestro/nuestra (our, singular) / nuestros/nuestras (plural): nuestra tía, nuestros primos

Notice how the possessive agrees in number with the noun: mi primo, mis primos.

Spanish
Mis padres viven en Valencia.
My parents live in Valencia.

Mis viven en Valencia.

tener presente Irregular
Pronoun Conjugation
yo teng-o
tú tien-es
él/ella/usted tien-e
nosotros/as ten-emos
vosotros/as ten-éis
ellos/ellas/ustedes tien-en

Use tener to talk about how many relatives you have:

  • Tengo dos hermanos. (I have two brothers.)
  • No tengo hijos. (I don’t have children.)
  • Tenemos una hija. (We have one daughter.)

Combine possessives + tener for natural sentences:

Spanish
Tengo un hermano y su esposa se llama Ana.
I have a brother and his wife is called Ana.
🧠 Family words and possessives
🔠 Put the words in order

Start with “Mi...” and keep “madre y mi padre” together.

abuela root (grandmother) -ita diminutive suffix (affection/‘little’)
💬 Small talk about family
Mi familia son grandes. → Mi familia es grande. “Familia” is singular, so use es, not son.

Quick patterns to reuse

  • Es mi + [family member]: Es mi tía. Es mi abuelo.
  • Son mis + [plural]: Son mis primos. Son mis abuelos.
  • [Name] es el/la [relative] de [name]: Ana es la hermana de Luis.
  • ¿Tienes [relatives]?: ¿Tienes hermanos? ¿Tienes hijos?

Try making two sentences about your family using these patterns.

Mini-practice: mix it up

  • Say this in Spanish: “We have two daughters.” → Tenemos dos hijas.
  • Ask a friend: “Do you have cousins?” → ¿Tienes primos?
  • Answer: “No, I don’t have children.” → No tengo hijos.

padres son de Perú.

Wrap-up

You learned the core family words (madre, padre, hermano, hermana, abuelos, tíos, primos), how gender and plurals work, and how to use possessives (mi/mis, tu/tus, su/sus). With tener, you can say what relatives you have: Tengo dos hermanos. Add a friendly touch with mamá/papá or abuelita.

Keep practicing by describing real people in your life. Two or three simple sentences are perfect: “Mi madre es profesora. Tengo un hermano. Mis abuelos viven cerca.” You’ve got this—¡sí se puede!