The core Spanish family words are madre (mother), padre (father), hijo (son), hija (daughter), hermano (brother), and hermana (sister), reaching outward to abuelos (grandparents), tíos (aunts and uncles), and primos (cousins). Spanish has one habit worth knowing up front: the masculine plural covers a mixed group, so los padres means the parents, both mother and father together. Here is the full set, with audio.
The family words
This is the family slice of Vocabcord's A1 Spanish set, from the immediate family out to aunts, uncles, and cousins. Tap the play button on any row to hear it.
| Spanish | English | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| familia | family | I love my family. |
| madre | mother | My mother cooks dinner. |
| padre | father | My father is a teacher. |
| mamá | mom | Hi mom! |
| papá | dad | Dad is at work. |
| padres | parents | My parents live here. |
| hijo | son | Their son is five years old. |
| hija | daughter | My daughter loves music. |
| hermano | brother | My brother is older. |
| hermana | sister | My sister studies medicine. |
| esposo | husband | Her husband is funny. |
| esposa | wife | His wife is a doctor. |
| niño | child | The child is sleeping. |
| niños | children | We have two children. |
| bebé | baby | The baby is laughing. |
| abuelo | grandfather | My grandfather is wise. |
| abuela | grandmother | My grandmother bakes bread. |
| tío | uncle | My uncle lives abroad. |
| tía | aunt | My aunt is kind. |
| primo | cousin | My cousin visits in summer. |
los padres: one word for the whole pair
Here is the rule that surprises beginners. When a group is mixed, Spanish uses the masculine plural for all of it. So los padres is the parents (mother and father), los hermanos is the siblings, los hijos is the children, los abuelos is the grandparents, and los tíos is the aunts and uncles. The masculine plural quietly includes everyone, so you rarely need to spell out both genders.
Swap the ending, swap the relative
Most family words come in a neat pair: -o for the male, -a for the female. Hijo and hija, hermano and hermana, abuelo and abuela, tío and tía, primo and prima, esposo and esposa. Change the final letter and you change who you are talking about. Madre and padre are the one pair that does not follow the pattern, and the casual mamá and papá sit alongside them.
Saying 'my' and 'your'
To make it personal, put mi (my) or tu (your) in front: mi madre (my mother), tu hermano (your brother). The possessive matches number rather than gender, so it grows an -s in the plural: mis hermanos (my siblings), tus primos (your cousins). That is the same mi for a mother or a father; only the count changes it.
Learn them in pairs
The quickest way through this list is to learn the words in their pairs, because each one hands you the other: once hermano is solid, hermana costs almost nothing, and the same goes for tío and tía, abuelo and abuela. Start with the relatives you actually talk about and let the rest of the tree grow outward from there.
Common questions
How do you say family members in Spanish?
The core words are madre (mother), padre (father), hijo (son), hija (daughter), hermano (brother), hermana (sister), abuelo and abuela (grandparents), tío and tía (uncle and aunt), and primo (cousin).
Does los padres mean parents or fathers?
Parents. In Spanish the masculine plural covers a mixed group, so los padres means the mother and father together. The same logic gives you los hermanos (siblings) and los abuelos (grandparents).
How do you say my mother and my brothers in Spanish?
Mi madre for my mother and mis hermanos for my brothers or siblings. The possessive mi grows to mis in the plural, matching the number of people, not their gender.
What is the difference between hermano and hermana?
Hermano is brother and hermana is sister. The plural los hermanos can mean the brothers or, when the group is mixed, the siblings as a whole.
