Want to introduce your family in French? In this friendly A1 guide, you’ll learn essential words (mère, père, frère, sœur…), easy sentences like “J’ai un frère,” and how to use mon/ma/mes. We’ll also see real-life phrases and a few cultural notes to sound natural.

Core family words

Here are the most common words you’ll use when talking about family. Focus on singular vs. plural and the gender of nouns (le for masculine, la for feminine).

Other useful words:

• le fils (son), la fille (daughter) — “fille” also means “girl” in general
• le mari (husband), la femme (wife)
• l’oncle (uncle), la tante (aunt)
• le cousin / la cousine (male/female cousin)
• le bébé (baby)

Tip: In French, “les parents” means “parents,” not “relatives.” “Relatives” is “la famille” (in a broad sense) or “les membres de la famille.”

Simple sentences to present your family

Use “avoir” (to have) to talk about relationships: “J’ai un frère,” “Elle a deux enfants.” Use “c’est” to identify a person: “C’est mon père.”

C’est père.

C’est sœur.

Ce sont parents.

Articles and numbers with family nouns

• un frère (a brother), une sœur (a sister)
• deux enfants (two children), trois cousins (three cousins)

When counting, the noun is usually plural: deux frères (two brothers), trois sœurs (three sisters).

J’ai frère.

Nous avons enfants.

Avoir in the present

“Avoir” is very common when talking about family (to have). Here are the present tense forms you’ll use often.

Practice building simple sentences:

• J’ai deux frères.
• Elle a un bébé.
• Ils ont trois cousins.

And to identify people, use “c’est” + a noun with a determiner (article or possessive): “C’est ma mère,” “C’est le mari de Julie.”

Mini-conversation: Talking about siblings

At a party or in class, you may hear these questions:

Culture corner

• Many families use affectionate terms: maman for mother, papa for father.
• With close family, people usually use tu (informal “you”). With older relatives you don’t know well, vous can be more polite.
• In everyday talk, “la famille” can mean both the nuclear family and extended relatives, depending on context.

Keep it simple at A1: present your closest family first (parents, siblings, children).

Family sentences you can reuse

Try these models and change the names or numbers:

• C’est mon père. Il s’appelle Paul.
• C’est ma sœur. Elle a 12 ans.
• Nous avons deux enfants: un fils et une fille.
• Mes parents habitent à Bordeaux.

Pro tip: To describe personality, use il/elle est + adjective: Elle est gentille. Il est calme.

Je ai un frère. → J’ai un frère. Je + ai contracts to j’ai. Ma ami s’appelle Claire. → Mon amie s’appelle Claire. Before a vowel sound, use mon even for feminine nouns (mon amie). Elle est ma mère. → C’est ma mère. Use c’est + noun to identify someone.

Extra practice: mix and match

Complete the blanks to practice possessives, articles, and numbers.

C’est grand-mère.

Ils ont cousins.

C’est mari.

Wrap-up

You learned essential family words (mère, père, frère, sœur, enfants, grands-parents) and simple patterns:

• Use avoir for relationships: J’ai un frère. Elle a deux enfants.
• Use c’est to identify: C’est ma mère.
• Use mon/ma/mes correctly, and remember the vowel rule (mon amie).

Keep practicing with short introductions: “Bonjour, je m’appelle Lina. C’est ma famille. J’ai un frère et une sœur. Mes parents habitent à Marseille.”

You’ve got this—next time, try adding ages or adjectives: “Il a 10 ans.” “Elle est sportive.”