Learn to name your family in 5 different languages!

May 15 is the day the world celebrates the International Day of Families, marking this date as a great occasion to remember why your family is important to you and to make them feel valued and loved.

 

In addition to your mother, father, brother, and sister, there are dozens of other family members whom you can celebrate. And if you love languages, then why not impress them by speaking to them using some foreign linguistics? Discover how to name not only your immediate family but also distant relatives in popular languages, such as Spanish, Italian, German, and Mandarin. We’ll even teach you how to say something about them by using phrasal verbs and adjectives. Let’s go!

 

Nouns

The table below features how to name your immediate and extended family in 5 different languages:

Definition	English	Spanish	German	Italian	Portuguese
The children of your aunts and uncles.	Cousins	Primos/primas	Cousins	Cugini	Primos/primas
Your siblings’ daughter/son.	Niece/nephew	Sobrino/Sobrina	Neffen	Nipote	Sobrinho/Sobrinha
If you have children, their sons and daughters will be your grandchildren.	Grandchildren	Nietos	Enkelkinder	Nipotes	Netos
The parents of your parents.	Grandparents	Abuelos	Großeltern	Nonni	Avós
Your partner (husband or wife).	Spouse	Cónyuge	Ehepartner	Coniuge	Cônjuge
Collective word for brothers and sisters.	Siblings	Hermanos	Brüder	Confratelli	Irmãos
Your parents’ sister/brother.	Aunt/Uncle	Tía/Tío	Tante	Zia/Zio	Tia/Tio

 

 

Some other nouns

Immediate family: The people who live with you (husband/wife and children; parents and siblings).

• Spanish: familia cercana.
• German: unmittelbaren Familie.
• Italian: famiglia immediata.
• Portuguese: Família imediata

Extended family: The family members beyond your immediate or nuclear family, such as your aunts, cousins, grandparents, etc.

• Spanish: familia lejana.
• German: entfernte Familie
• Italian: famiglia lontana.
• Portuguese: família grande.

In-laws: The relatives of your partner. For example, your spouse’s father will be your father-in-law, their mother is your mother-in-law, and so on.

• Spanish: familia política (suegro, suegra).
• German: erweiterter Familienkreis
• Italian: famiglia politica (suocero, suocera)
• Portuguese: familia política (sogro, sogra).

 

Adjectives:

Here is also a list of positive and negative adjectives you can use to describe your family members:

English	Spanish	German	Italian	Portuguese
Loyal	Leal	Treu	Leale	Fiel
Generous	Generoso	Großzügig	Generoso	Generoso
Frank	Franco	Ehrlich	Franco	Honesto
Friendly	Amigable	Freundlich	Amichevole	Amigáveis
Independent	Independiente	Unabhängig	Indipendente	Independente
Boring	Aburrido	Langweilig	Noioso	Entediante
Careless	Descuidado	Leichtsinnig	Negligente	Descuidado
Jealous	Celoso	Eifersüchtig	Geloso	Com Ciumes
Selfish	Egoísta	Egoistisch	Egoista	Egoísta

 

 

Phrasal verbs in Spanish

Want to know a bit more of Spanish? Learn more about useful verbs to talk about your family and describe your relationship with your relatives:

• Bring someone up: criar.

Example: mi mamá crió 2 hijos.

• Be named after: nombrar.

Example: Me nombraron José por mi papá.

• Grow apart: Alejarse.

Example: Después de una pelea, nos alejamos.

• Get along with somebody: llevarse bien.

Example: Me llevo bien con mi papá, tenemos muchas cosas en común.  

• Look after: Cuidar.

Example: Siempre cuido a mi abuela, está enferma.

• Tell off:

Example: Mi papá me reta cuando no lavo los platos.

• Split up: separarse.

Example: Mis padres se separaron después de una discusión.