👨👩👧 The family in French
📖 In short
To talk about our family we need the names of its members, and little words like mon and ma to say “my father” and “my mother”. Come and meet Sami's family!
🔎 The lesson
1 Family members
| Masculine | Feminine | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| le père | la mère | Father / mother |
| le frère | la sœur | Brother / sister |
| le grand-père | la grand-mère | Grandfather / grandmother |
| l'oncle | la tante | Uncle / aunt |
| le cousin | la cousine | Cousin (boy / girl) |
| le fils | la fille | Son / daughter |
2 Sami's family
- Voici ma famille.This is my family.
- Mon père s'appelle Karim.My father's name is Karim.
- J'ai une sœur et deux frères.I have a sister and two brothers.
- Ma grand-mère fait de bons gâteaux.My grandmother makes delicious cakes.
3 Pet names
Children say papa and maman, and papi and mamie for grandparents.
- papa / mamanDad / Mom
- papi / mamieGrandpa / Grandma
💡 Watch out!
- oncle means both your father's and your mother's brother, and tante both their sisters: unlike Arabic, French (like English) doesn't tell them apart.
- la fille has two meanings: “girl” and “daughter”.
🧩 Test yourself
1 What does la sœur mean?
2 “Grandfather” in French:
3 How do you say “my mother's brother” and “my father's brother” in French?
→ Telling the time in French← Definite and indefinite articles