French family vocabulary: parents, siblings and relatives
The most useful French family words are la famille (family), la mère (mother),
le père (father), le frère (brother), la sœur (sister), le fils (son) and
la fille (daughter). Learn each word with its article, because the article tells
you the gender and helps you build correct phrases later.
| Word | Transcription | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| famille | /famij/ | family | Ma famille vit ici.My family lives here. |
| mère | /mɛʁ/ | mother | Ma mère est bonne.My mother is good. |
| père | /pɛʁ/ | father | Mon père est grand.My father is tall. |
| enfant | /ɑ̃fɑ̃/ | child | Les enfants sautent et jouent.Children jump and play. |
| frère | /fʁɛʁ/ | brother | Mon frère est grand.My brother is big. |
| sœur | /sœʁ/ | sister | Ma sœur est belle.My sister is beautiful. |
| fils | /fis/ | son | Mon fils est poli.My son is polite. |
| fille | /fij/ | daughter | Ma fille est un bébé.My daughter is a baby. |
| mari | /maʁi/ | husband | Mon mari est à la maison.My husband is at home. |
| femme | /fam/ | wife | Ma femme est ici.My wife is here. |
| grand-père | /ɡʁɑ̃ pɛʁ/ | grandfather | Mon grand-père a un fils.My grandfather has a son. |
| grand-mère | /ɡʁɑ̃ mɛʁ/ | grandmother | Elle rend visite à sa grand-mère chaque mois.She visits her grandmother every month. |
Parents and children
Parent in English can mean one mother or father. In French, les parents
usually means “parents” as a pair, while one parent is un parent.
Ma mère parle français. Mon père est à la maison.
My mother speaks French. My father is at home.
Enfant can mean “child” or “kid”, and the plural is enfants.
Brother, sister, son and daughter
The sibling words are straightforward: un frère, une sœur. The child words
are more important to learn carefully: un fils is a son, and une fille is a
daughter or a girl, depending on context.
J’ai une sœur et deux frères.
I have one sister and two brothers.C’est ma fille. C’est mon fils.
This is my daughter. This is my son.
Notice that the final s in fils is pronounced.
My family: mon, ma and mes
For “my”, French changes the possessive to match the family word.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| my father | mon père |
| my mother | ma mère |
| my parents | mes parents |
| my sister | ma sœur |
| my brother | mon frère |
Before a feminine word that starts with a vowel, French uses mon for sound:
mon amie. With the family words in this article, the regular mon/ma/mes
pattern is enough.
Common mistakes
Forgetting the article and gender
Store the noun with its article, not as a bare word.
mère = mother→ la mère / ma mère
mother / my mother
Mixing up fille and fils
Fille can mean daughter or girl; fils means son and keeps a pronounced final
sound.
Ma fille et mon fils sont ici.
My daughter and my son are here.
Translating parents as relatives
Les parents means mother and father. For “relatives”, use la famille or
les proches depending on the context.
Mes parents habitent à Nice.
My parents live in Nice.
Family words become useful fast because they combine with possession, gender and basic introductions. In Fluera you hear each word with its article and build sentences like ma sœur est ici or j’ai deux frères, so the gender and sound stay attached to the word. Try it when you practice French.
Practice
Question 1 of 12
Frequently asked questions
How do you say family in French?
la famille. The word is feminine, so say ma famille ("my family") and une famille ("a family").What are mother and father in French?
la mère; father is le père. With "my", say ma mère and mon père.What is the difference between fille and fils?
Fille means "daughter" or "girl"; fils means "son". The final s in fils is pronounced, which helps distinguish it in speech.Does parents mean relatives in French?
Les parents means "parents" — mother and father. For relatives more broadly, say la famille or, in some contexts, les proches.