Family members
Family is one of the first topics you'll talk about in Spanish. Notice how many family words have masculine and feminine forms - just change the ending.
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| el padre | la madre | father / mother |
| el hijo | la hija | son / daughter |
| el hermano | la hermana | brother / sister |
| el abuelo | la abuela | grandfather / grandmother |
| el nieto | la nieta | grandson / granddaughter |
| el tío | la tía | uncle / aunt |
| el primo | la prima | cousin (m/f) |
| el sobrino | la sobrina | nephew / niece |
| el esposo / marido | la esposa / mujer | husband / wife |
| el novio | la novia | boyfriend / girlfriend |
| el suegro | la suegra | father-in-law / mother-in-law |
| el cuñado | la cuñada | brother-in-law / sister-in-law |
Collective terms
In Spanish, if a group has at least one male, the masculine plural is used:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| los padres | parents (or fathers) |
| los hijos | children (sons and daughters) |
| los hermanos | siblings (brothers and sisters) |
| los abuelos | grandparents |
| la familia | family |
Note: The masculine plural (los hermanos) covers a mixed group. Los hermanos can mean "the brothers" or "the brothers and sisters" depending on context.
Talking about your family
Use tener (to have) to talk about family members. Tener is irregular:
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | tengo |
| tú | tienes |
| él/ella/usted | tiene |
| nosotros | tenemos |
| vosotros | tenéis |
| ellos/ustedes | tienen |
- Tengo dos hermanas. - I have two sisters.
- No tengo hijos. - I don't have children.
- ¿Tienes hermanos? - Do you have siblings?
- Mi madre tiene tres hermanos. - My mother has three siblings.
Possessive adjectives
To say "my", "your", "his/her", etc.:
| English | Singular noun | Plural noun |
|---|---|---|
| my | mi | mis |
| your (informal) | tu | tus |
| his / her / your (formal) | su | sus |
| our | nuestro/a | nuestros/as |
| your (plural, informal) | vuestro/a | vuestros/as |
| their / your (plural, formal) | su | sus |
- Mi padre es alto. - My father is tall.
- Mis abuelos viven en Valencia. - My grandparents live in Valencia.
- Su hermana es profesora. - His/Her sister is a teacher.
- Nuestra casa es pequeña. - Our house is small.
Describing people - adjectives
Physical appearance
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| alto | alta | tall |
| bajo | baja | short |
| delgado | delgada | thin |
| gordo | gorda | fat |
| guapo | guapa | good-looking |
| joven | joven | young |
| viejo | vieja | old |
| moreno | morena | dark-haired / dark-skinned |
| rubio | rubia | blonde |
| pelirrojo | pelirroja | red-haired |
Hair and eyes
- Tiene el pelo largo / corto / rizado / liso. - He/She has long / short / curly / straight hair.
- Tiene el pelo castaño / negro / rubio. - He/She has brown / black / blonde hair.
- Tiene los ojos azules / verdes / marrones / negros. - He/She has blue / green / brown / black eyes.
- Lleva gafas. - He/She wears glasses.
- Tiene barba / bigote. - He has a beard / moustache.
Personality
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| simpatico | simpatica | nice / friendly |
| antipatico | antipatica | unfriendly |
| divertido | divertida | fun / funny |
| serio | seria | serious |
| timido | timida | shy |
| inteligente | inteligente | intelligent |
| trabajador | trabajadora | hard-working |
| perezoso | perezosa | lazy |
| amable | amable | kind |
| generoso | generosa | generous |
Adjective agreement rules
Spanish adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in both gender and number:
| Adjective type | Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Masc. pl. | Fem. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ends in -o | alto | alta | altos | altas |
| Ends in -e | inteligente | inteligente | inteligentes | inteligentes |
| Ends in consonant | trabajador | trabajadora | trabajadores | trabajadoras |
- El chico es alto. - The boy is tall.
- La chica es alta. - The girl is tall.
- Los chicos son altos. - The boys are tall.
- Las chicas son altas. - The girls are tall.
Dialogue: talking about family
Sara: ¿Tienes una familia grande?
David: Sí, bastante grande. Tengo tres hermanos - dos hermanas y un hermano.
Sara: ¡Qué bien! ¿Cómo son?
David: Mi hermano mayor se llama Pablo. Es alto y moreno, y es muy divertido. Mis hermanas son gemelas - se llaman Lucía y Marta.
Sara: ¿Son iguales?
David: Físicamente sí - las dos son rubias y tienen los ojos verdes. Pero Lucía es muy simpática y extrovertida, y Marta es más tímida y seria.
Sara: ¿Y tus padres?
David: Mi padre es profesor. Es bajo y lleva gafas. Mi madre es enfermera. Es muy trabajadora y amable.
Translation
Sara: Do you have a big family?
David: Yes, quite big. I have three siblings - two sisters and one brother.
Sara: How nice! What are they like?
David: My older brother is called Pablo. He's tall and dark-haired, and he's very funny. My sisters are twins - they're called Lucia and Marta.
Sara: Are they the same?
David: Physically yes - they're both blonde and have green eyes. But Lucia is very friendly and outgoing, and Marta is more shy and serious.
Sara: And your parents?
David: My father is a teacher. He's short and wears glasses. My mother is a nurse. She's very hard-working and kind.
Practice
Choose the correct form of the adjective in brackets:
- Mi madre es (alto / alta / altos / altas) _____.
- Mis hermanos son muy (divertido / divertida / divertidos / divertidas) _____.
- La profesora es (inteligente / inteligentes) _____.
- Las chicas son (rubio / rubia / rubios / rubias) _____.
- Mi abuelo es (viejo / vieja) _____ pero muy (simpático / simpática) _____.
- Tenemos una casa (pequeño / pequeña) _____.
Answers
- alta (feminine singular - madre)
- divertidos (masculine plural - hermanos)
- inteligente (no gender change for -e adjectives)
- rubias (feminine plural - chicas)
- viejo ... simpático (masculine singular - abuelo)
- pequeña (feminine singular - casa)
Key takeaways
- Most family words have masculine (-o) and feminine (-a) forms. The masculine plural covers mixed groups.
- Use tener (irregular: tengo, tienes, tiene...) to talk about family members you have.
- Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su, nuestro) agree in number with the noun they describe.
- Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number: -o/-a/-os/-as for most; -e/-es for others.
- Most adjectives go after the noun: un hombre alto, not un alto hombre.