Lesson 3: Family in French

Learn how to talk about your family and loved ones in French.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Key Family Vocabulary

  • La famille – Family
  • Le père – Father
  • La mère – Mother
  • Le frère – Brother
  • La sœur – Sister
  • Les parents – Parents
  • Le fils – Son
  • La fille – Daughter
  • Les grands-parents – Grandparents
  • Le grand-père – Grandfather
  • La grand-mère – Grandmother
  • L'oncle – Uncle
  • La tante – Aunt
  • Le cousin – Male cousin
  • La cousine – Female cousin
  • L'enfant – Child
  • Les enfants – Children

📚 Grammar Tips

  • Gender & Articles: Masculine → le , Feminine → la , Plural → les .
  • Plural Form: In French, most plurals add -s, but pronunciation often remains the same.
    Examples:
    La mèreLes mères (the mothers)
    Le pèreLes pères (the fathers)
  • Possessive Pronouns: "Mon père" (my father), "Ma mère" (my mother), "Mes parents" (my parents). The possessive changes with gender and number.
  • Verb Agreement: “Mes parents sont gentils” (My parents are kind).

💬 Usage in Context – Talking About Family

J’ai un frère et une sœur .
I have a brother and a sister.
🧠 Frère is masculine → un , “Sœur is feminine → une

Mon père est médecin.
My father is a doctor.
🩺 Médecin means doctor (gender-neutral in French)

Mes grands-parents habitent à Paris.
My grandparents live in Paris.
🏙️ Grands-parents = grandparents (plural of “grand-père” & “grand-mère”)

Comment s’appelle ta mère ?
What is your mother’s name?
Comment s’appelle ... ?” is a common way to ask someone’s name.

Ma famille est très grande.
My family is very big.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Grande = big/large → referring to number of family members.

🧠 Fun Facts

  • French families often use affectionate nicknames like “maman” (mom) or “papa” (dad).
  • French nouns always have a gender, which affects all surrounding grammar like articles and adjectives.
  • The word famille is feminine, so we say la famille.
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