Talking about family is basic knowledge in Spanish. You have a basic vocabulary you can use with basic verbs as “ser”, “llamarse”,”tener”, etc.
Like many words in Spanish, these will usually change depending on male or female; but the good thing is that you will just need to change the ending between “o” or “a”. The only exceptions, in this case, are the words for parents.
Another option to use instead of “padre” and “madre” is “papá” and “mamá“. Both of them mean basically the same; however the connotation can be slightly different. “Padre” and “madre” are usually words that show respect whereas “papá” y “mamá” show a lot more familiarity.
Be careful with the pronunciation. “Papá” y “papa” don’t mean the same thing. Make sure to accentuate the last word if you are talking about family.
- Mi papá se llama Roberto. – My father’s name is Roberto.
- Mi papa se llama Roberto. – My potato’s name is Roberto.
Finally, other words about family are:
- Abuelos – Grandparents
- Padres – Parents
- Hijos – children
Some examples of the phrases you can make with this vocabulary:
- Mi familia tiene 9 personas.
- Tengo dos hermanos: una hermana y un hermano.
- Mi papá se llama Gastón y mi mamá es Lorena.
- Los padres de mi papá son mis abuelos. El nombre de mi abuelo es Carlos y el nombre de mi abuela es Ana.
- Los padres de mi mamá son mis abuelos. Mi abuelo se llama Manuel y mi abuela se llama Francisca.
- Los padres de mi mamá son franceses.