Talking About Family
Every language starts at home, so that’s where we’re starting too. Here’s every family word you’ll actually use — parents, grandparents, cousins, in-laws, even the nicknames — with the English right next to it, no guessing required.
Twenty-eight words, sorted so they actually stick
Every card shows the Spanish word, how to say it, and the English meaning — right there, no clicking required.
Now put them to work
A word only really belongs to you once you’ve used it in a sentence. Here’s what these look like in real life.
Mi madre y mi padre cocinan juntos los domingos.
My mom and my dad cook together on Sundays.
Tengo dos hermanos y una hermana menor.
I have two brothers and a younger sister.
Mis abuelos viven cerca de la playa.
My grandparents live near the beach.
Mi suegra me enseñó a hacer tamales.
My mother-in-law taught me how to make tamales.
Mi primo y yo crecimos en la misma calle.
My cousin and I grew up on the same street.
Mi hija se parece mucho a su abuela.
My daughter looks a lot like her grandmother.
The “-o / -a” shortcut
Here’s the good news: most family words come as a pair. Swap the final -o for an -a and you flip from masculine to feminine — abuelo → abuela, tío → tía, hijo → hija, primo → prima. Learn one word, basically get the second one free.
One weird plural to know
Los padres doesn’t just mean “the fathers” — it’s the everyday word for “parents.” Same logic with los hermanos (siblings) and los abuelos (grandparents): the masculine plural covers the mixed group, even if it’s one man and five women.
The whole family tree, in Spanish
Here’s how every word connects inside one (fictional, endlessly patient) family.
