Family in French: Vocabulary, Phrases and Audio
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Talking about family in French comes up quickly when you meet someone, introduce the people close to you or tell a story about home. In this guide, I’ll share the core vocabulary, useful sentence patterns and audio recorded by me, a native French speaker.
Your family may be biological, adoptive, blended, fostered or chosen. Start with the words that describe the people in your own life, then use them in a few sentences you could actually say.
Allons-y ! Let’s get started.
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French Family Words with Audio
“Family” in French is , and a family member is . The word can mean a parent or, in some contexts, a relative; les parents most often means “the parents”.
Don’t try to memorise every term at once. Pick five people you genuinely talk about, listen to each recording, repeat it aloud and put it into a short frame such as C’est mon frère or Voici ma tante. Come back later and retrieve the sentence without looking.
Close family:
- or – “the wife” in family context
- or – “the husband”
- – “the parents”
- – “the mother”
- – “the father”
- – “the children”
- – “the daughter” in family context
- – “the son”
- – “the sister”
- – “the brother”
In everyday French, mari and femme are common for husband and wife, while époux and épouse can sound more formal. Femme can mean “woman” or “wife”, and fille can mean “girl” or “daughter”. Family context or a possessive such as ma femme or ma fille makes the intended meaning clear. You can also use le conjoint or la conjointe for a spouse, and le partenaire or la partenaire for a partner.
Extended family:
- – “the aunt”
- – “the uncle”
- – “the niece”
- – “the nephew”
- – “the cousin” (feminine)
- – “the cousin” (masculine)
- – “the granddaughter”
- – “the grandson”
- – “the grandmother”
- – “the grandfather”
- – “the great-granddaughter”
- – “the great-grandson”
- – “the great-grandmother”
- – “the great-grandfather”
means the people close to you. Depending on context, that may include relatives, a partner or close friends; it doesn’t automatically mean every member of your extended family.
Blended families and half-siblings:
- – “the stepmother”
- – “the stepfather”
- – “the half-sister”
- – “the half-brother”
- – “the stepdaughter”
- – “the stepson”
Demi-frère and demi-sœur mean half-brother and half-sister: you share one parent. A step-sibling with no parent in common doesn’t have one equally universal everyday label in French, so people often describe the relationship or use the term their family prefers.
In-laws:
- la belle-mère – “the mother-in-law”
- le beau-père – “the father-in-law”
- – “the sister-in-law”
- – “the brother-in-law”
- la belle-fille – “the daughter-in-law”
- le beau-fils – “the son-in-law”
Belle-mère, beau-père, belle-fille and beau-fils can describe either step-relations or in-laws, so context determines the meaning. Belle-sœur and beau-frère normally mean “sister-in-law” and “brother-in-law”; they aren’t the usual terms for step-siblings.
Godparents and godchildren:
- – “the godfathers”
- – “the godmother”
- – “the godfather”
- – “the goddaughter”
- – “the godson”
For one godfather and one godmother together, say le parrain et la marraine. The feminine plural les marraines means “the godmothers”.
How to Say “Family” in French: Famille
“Family” is . It is a feminine noun, so the basic forms are:
- la famille – “the family”
- une famille – “a family”
- ma famille – “my family”
Famille and “family” are French–English cognates because they ultimately share the same Latin origin. Their spelling and meanings are related, but their pronunciations are noticeably different.
Types of Family in French
These expressions describe different family structures. Use the one that fits the people you are talking about, without treating any one structure as the default.
- – “the nuclear family”
- – “the traditional family”; this is context-dependent, not another word for “immediate family”
- – “the single-parent family”
- – “the blended family”
- or – “the extended family”
- – “the in-laws”
- – “the adoptive family”; la famille d’accueil – “the foster family”
- la famille homoparentale – “a family with same-sex parents”
- la famille choisie – “the chosen family”
French Gender, Possessives and Family Groups
French articles and adjectives usually agree with the noun’s grammatical gender and number: un grand frère, une grande sœur and mes grands-parents.
French possessive determiners agree with the grammatical gender and number of the possessed noun, not with the owner. That gives you mon frère, ma sœur and mes parents. Likewise, son frère can mean “his brother” or “her brother”, while sa sœur can mean “his sister” or “her sister”. Before a vowel sound, French uses mon, ton or son even with a feminine noun, as in mon épouse.
For groups of relatives, these forms are useful:
- les parents – “the parents”
- les grands-parents – “the grandparents”
- les enfants – “the children”
- les petits-enfants – “the grandchildren”
- les frères et sœurs – “the siblings”
- les oncles et tantes – “the uncles and aunts”
- les cousins et cousines – “the cousins”
Traditional standard French can use a masculine plural such as les cousins for a mixed group. Saying les cousins et cousines makes both forms explicit. For an all-female group, use the feminine plural, such as les sœurs or les cousines.
French Family Nicknames and Age Terms
When I’m speaking French with my parents, I don’t address them as mère and père. I call them Maman and Papa.
When these words are used as names, they normally appear without an article:
- – “the mum”; Maman when you address her
- – “the dad”; Papa when you address him
Mes parents means “my parents”, while Maman et Papa means “Mum and Dad”.
Grandparents also have affectionate names:
- – “the grandmother”; Mamie as a name
- , also spelt papy – “the grandfather”; Papi or Papy as a name
You may also hear (“granny” or “grandma”) and (“grandad” or “grandpa”). They can sound affectionate, regional or old-fashioned, depending on the family. My grandmother has never wanted her grandchildren to call her mémé; she says it makes her sound too old!
For siblings, petit and grand often express relative age rather than physical size:
- petite sœur – “younger sister”
- petit frère – “younger brother”
- grande sœur – “older sister”
- grand frère – “older brother”
Oncle has the affectionate form . In some places, tante has the affectionate form . In Guadeloupe, where I grew up, children use tatie as an affectionate term for women even when they aren’t their aunts.
Useful French Sentences About Family
Vocabulary becomes much easier to recall when you use it in sentences about real people. Adapt these examples to fit your own family:
- Voici ma sœur. – “This is my sister.”
- C’est mon frère. – “This is my brother.”
- J’ai deux frères et une sœur. – “I have two brothers and one sister.”
- Je suis enfant unique. – “I’m an only child.”
- J’ai une grande famille. – “I have a big family.”
- J’aime ma famille. – “I love my family.”
- Je suis proche de ma famille. – “I’m close to my family.”
- Je vis avec mes parents. – “I live with my parents.”
- On se voit souvent. – “We see each other often.”
- Je considère mes amis comme ma famille. – “I consider my friends family.”
- Tu as des frères et sœurs ? – “Do you have siblings?”; use Vous avez des frères et sœurs ? for formal vous or more than one person
- Comment s’appelle ta sœur ? – “What is your sister’s name?”
- La famille d’abord. – “Family comes first.”
A family tree is un arbre généalogique. Make a small one for your biological, adoptive or chosen family, then write one sentence beside each person. The point is to practise language you are likely to retrieve in a real conversation.
French Films About Family
Films give family vocabulary a story and a voice. These three comedies centre on different family structures; as you watch, listen for terms from the lists above and note one complete sentence around each word.
1. Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au Bon Dieu ?
Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au Bon Dieu ?, released in English as Serial (Bad) Weddings, follows Claude and Marie as their prejudices are challenged by their daughters’ marriages.
The humour leans heavily on ethnic and religious stereotypes, so it isn’t a neutral guide to French families. It can still give you family and in-law vocabulary in context if you watch it critically.
2. C’est quoi cette famille?!
C’est quoi cette famille?!, released in English as We Are Family, centres on children in a large blended family. Tired of moving between homes, they decide that the children will stay in one place and their parents will take turns moving.
It is a comedy rather than a documentary, but the premise gives you a clear context for famille recomposée, beau-père, belle-mère and sibling vocabulary.
3. Il a déjà tes yeux
Il a déjà tes yeux, released in English as He Even Has Your Eyes, follows a Black French couple who adopt a white baby and face resistance from people around them.
Listen for words connected with parents, children, adoption and extended family, then use one of them to summarise a scene in your own French sentence.
Practise Talking About Your Family in French
Choose five people you are comfortable talking about. For each one, say the relationship, add one detail and ask or answer one simple question. For example: Voici mon cousin. Il habite à Lyon. On se voit souvent.
Listen to the matching audio once more, close the page and say your five sentences from memory. Use them with a tutor, exchange partner or friend, then return the next day and try again. That small retrieval loop will do more for you than rereading the full list.
When you want to expand, use our guide to French words and phrases, then turn them into conversation with these practical ways to speak more French.
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