The family
(Part 1).
5
Minutes
The Spanish you know 3
Even before starting to study Spanish you already know THOUSANDS of Spanish words. Honestly! Find out the Spanish words you didn't even know you knew...
What’s in this class?
In this section were going to look at the Spanish we need in order to talk about the family. This is a basic level class which will focus on vocabulary. The class features audio with native speakers from both Spain and Latin America. There’s quite a lot to cover, so we’ve divided the class into two parts.
We are family
The family tends to have a very important role in Spanish and Latin American life. While we English-speakers usually spend more time with our peer group, Spanish-speakers will be at granny’s for lunch every Sunday.
The immediate family
Here are the words for members of the immediate family:
- Madre – mother
- Padre – father
- Hijo – son
- Hija – daughter
- Hijos – children
The problem with children
The use of the word ‘Hijos’ can be a little confusing for us English speakers. Here’s a quick summary:
Hijo -> male child (singular)
Hija -> female child (singular)
Hijos -> male and female children (plural)
Hijas -> female children (plural)
So when someone talks about their ‘hijos’ they are talking about both sons and daughters. Parents will often want to get more specific, so you’ll hear explanations similar to the one below:
- Tengo tres hijos, un chico y dos chicas.
I have three children, one boy and two girls.
The same thing happens with the word ‘primos’. This plural form includes both male and female cousins, but the singular ‘primo’ is only a male cousin.
The youngest and oldest
- Hijo mayor – Eldest son
- Hijo menor – Youngest son
- Hijo pequeño – Youngest son
- Hija mayor – Oldest daughter
- Hija menor – Youngest daughter
- Hija pequeña – Youngest daughter
Some examples:
- Mi hijo menor es diseñador web.
My youngest son is a web designer. - Mi hija mayor es actriz.
My eldest daughter is an actress.
Like in English, you can use ‘menor’ and ‘mayor’ as nouns if the context is obvious. We can also use ‘más joven’ for the youngest in the family:
- Mi hija mayor es bajita, pero la más joven es muy alta.
My eldest daughter is short, but the youngest (daughter) is very tall. - Mi hijo menor es muy irresponsable, y el mayor también.
My youngest son is very irresponsible, and so is the eldest (son).
Coming up in part 2
We love you grandpa! Coming up in part two, we look at the extended family, including grandparents, nieces, nephews, and the dreaded mother-in-law. We also look at the vocabulary for step families and related issues!
We’ll publish part 2 in the second week in April. Sign up to our newsletter (form in the footer) to be notified about all our new contents.
