How to Talk About Your Family in French
(A1-A2 Level)

Do you want to learn to talk about your loved ones in French easily? This lesson for beginners (A1-A2 level) will show you how.

It's important to live French every day, not just learn it. Here, you'll find examples and ideas for using French in your life.

Family is very important in France. To learn French well, you need to know how to talk about your family.

Key French Vocabulary: The Family

Here are the words for the close family (the "noyau familial"): la mère (mother) and le père (father). Together, they are les parents (parents). The children are le fils (son) and la fille (daughter). For siblings, we say le frère (brother) and la sœur (sister).

Examples: "C'est ma mère.", "Mon frère est grand."

Note: In French, the 'e' at the end of 'mère' and 'père' isn't always pronounced, but the 'r' is pronounced.

French (Close Family)	English
La mère	Mother
Le père	Father
Les parents	Parents
Le fils	Son
La fille	Daughter
Le frère	Brother
La sœur	Sister

Now, here are the words for the extended family: le grand-père (grandfather) and la grand-mère (grandmother). You can also say Papy (grandpa) and Mamie (grandma). Both are les grands-parents (grandparents). Your parents' siblings are l'oncle (uncle) and la tante (aunt). You can also say Tonton and Tata (more informal). Your uncle and aunt's children are le cousin (male cousin) and la cousine (female cousin). Your siblings' children are le neveu (nephew) and la nièce (niece).

Examples: "Mes grands-parents habitent à la campagne.", "Ma nièce aime les animaux."

French (Extended Family)	English
Le grand-père / Papy	Grandfather / Grandpa
La grand-mère / Mamie	Grandmother / Grandma
Les grands-parents	Grandparents
L'oncle / Tonton	Uncle
La tante / Tata	Aunt
Le cousin	Cousin (male)
La cousine	Cousin (female)
Le neveu	Nephew
La nièce	Niece

We also use informal words: Maman (mom/mum), Papa (dad), Frangin (brother), Frangine (sister).

To talk about the person you are married to, we say: le mari (husband) or l'époux (spouse - more formal) for a man, and la femme (wife) or l'épouse (spouse - more formal) for a woman.

Your husband's or wife's family is called the "belle-famille" (in-laws). To talk about them, use "beau-" or "belle-" before the word: le beau-père (father-in-law / stepfather), la belle-mère (mother-in-law / stepmother), le beau-frère (brother-in-law / stepbrother), la belle-sœur (sister-in-law / stepsister). All together they are the beaux-parents (parents-in-law).

Other useful words: les enfants (children/kids), le bébé (baby), un parent (a parent). We also talk about famille élargie (extended family) and famille recomposée (blended family / stepfamily), when parents have children from previous relationships.

Essential French Grammar (A1-A2)

The verb être (to be) is very useful for talking about family. Here's how to use it in the present tense: Je suis (I am), Tu es (You are - informal), Il/Elle/On est (He/She/One is), Nous sommes (We are), Vous êtes (You are - formal/plural), Ils/Elles sont (They are).

Examples: "Je suis le fils de Marie.", "Elle est ma tante.", "Nous sommes une grande famille.", "Ils sont mes cousins."

To say "whose" something is (possession), use the possessive adjectives. Be careful: the adjective agrees with the word that follows (masculine, feminine, singular, plural), not with the person who possesses. Look at the table:

Pronoun (Who Owns?)	Masculine Singular Word	Feminine Singular Word	Plural Word	Example
Je	mon	ma	mes	C'est mon frère. / C'est ma mère. / Ce sont mes parents.
Tu	ton	ta	tes	Où est ton père ? / Où est ta sœur ? / Où sont tes cousins ?
Il / Elle / On	son	sa	ses	Son fils est grand. / Sa fille est petite. / Ses enfants sont adorables.
Nous	notre	notre	nos	Notre maison est grande. / Nos grands-parents sont gentils.
Vous	votre	votre	vos	Votre oncle est ici. / Vos tantes sont arrivées.
Ils / Elles	leur	leur	leurs	Leur chien est mignon. / Leurs amis sont français.

Reminder: The possessive adjective agrees with the noun that follows (e.g., ma mère because 'mère' is feminine), not with "je", "tu", "il", etc.

Be careful: If a feminine word starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or 'h', use 'mon', 'ton', 'son' (instead of ma, ta, sa). It's easier to pronounce.

Example: C'est mon amie (not ma amie). C'est ton histoire (not ta histoire).

Exercises: Practicing Family Vocabulary

✅ Exercise Corrections

Tips: Learning French Family Vocabulary Daily

Now that you know the vocabulary and grammar, here's how to practice French family terms every day:

• Label your photos: Take family photos. Write the French name of each person on a sticky note and put it on the photo. It's a fun way to learn!
• Talk to yourself or a friend: Try describing your family in French, even if you're alone. If you have a language exchange partner, talk about your families together.
• Watch videos in French: Look for short videos or songs about families in French. Cartoons for children are also great for the A1-A2 level.
• Draw a family tree: Make a simple drawing of your family (parents, grandparents, siblings...). Write the French name next to each person.
• Use language apps: Many language learning apps have lessons on family. Use them to review regularly.

Conclusion: Keep Learning French!

Well done! You can now talk a little about your family in French. You know the important words and basic grammar for the beginner level.

Remember: to learn well, you need to practice often. Use these new words every day. They will become easier to use.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. It's normal when learning French! Every mistake helps you progress.

Do you want to progress even more? Personalized French lessons can help. Check out the options on frenchaccentbymaxime.com.

Keep learning French! See you soon!