Vocabulary: Learn Family words in French
Do you find it challenging to talk about your family members in French? Look no further! Our comprehensive list of French family words will expand your vocabulary and help you communicate more effectively.
This list includes essential French words related to family, with example sentences, perfect for everyday conversations, watching movies, or any other situation where you need to express yourself in French.
We also clarify the distinction between step-family and in-laws, which can be confusing since there’s no separate term for these relationships in French. Improve your French language skills today and confidently discuss your family in the language of love.
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This compilation includes 70+ essential family words, each with an example sentence, organized into categories so you can quickly find what you need: immediate family, extended family, godparents, adoptive & foster family, and special birth-order terms.
Jump to a category: Immediate Family · Extended Family · Godparents & Godchildren · Adoptive & Foster Family · Birth Order Terms · Step-Family & In-Laws · FAQ
Immediate Family
The closest members of your family.
| French Word | English Translation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| la famille | the family | La famille est très importante pour moi. = Family is very important to me. |
| les parents | the parents | Mes parents vivent à Paris. = My parents live in Paris. |
| un père | a father | Marc est un père aimant. = Marc is a loving father. |
| un papa | a dad | Mon papa est très gentil. = My dad is very kind. |
| une mère | a mother | Marie est une mère dévouée. = Marie is a devoted mother. |
| une maman | a mom | Ma maman cuisine très bien. = My mom cooks very well. |
| frères et sœurs | siblings | J’ai deux frères et sœurs. = I have two siblings. |
| un frère | a brother | Mon frère est plus jeune que moi. = My brother is younger than me. |
| un grand frère | an older brother | Mon grand frère est à l’université. = My older brother is in college. |
| un petit frère | a younger brother | Mon petit frère adore les jeux vidéo. = My younger brother loves video games. |
| une sœur | a sister | Ma sœur est très intelligente. = My sister is very intelligent. |
| une grande sœur | an older sister | Ma grande sœur travaille à l’hôpital. = My older sister works at the hospital. |
| une petite sœur | a younger sister | Ma petite sœur est en maternelle. = My younger sister is in kindergarten. |
| un fils | a son | J’ai un fils de cinq ans. = I have a five-year-old son. |
| une fille | a daughter | Ma fille aime dessiner. = My daughter loves to draw. |
| un enfant | a child | Cet enfant est très curieux. = This child is very curious. |
| des enfants | children | Les enfants jouent dans le jardin. = The children are playing in the garden. |
| un mari | a husband | Son mari est médecin. = Her husband is a doctor. |
| un époux | a spouse (male) | Il est un époux attentionné. = He is a caring spouse. |
| une femme | a wife | Sa femme est architecte. = His wife is an architect. |
| une épouse | a spouse (female) | Elle est une épouse fidèle. = She is a loyal spouse. |
| un petit ami / un petit copain | a boyfriend | Elle a un petit ami très sympa. = She has a very nice boyfriend. |
| une petite amie / une petite copine | a girlfriend | Il sort avec une petite amie adorable. = He is dating an adorable girlfriend. |
Extended Family
Grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more.
| French Word | English Translation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| les grands-parents | grandparents | Mes grands-parents habitent à la campagne. = My grandparents live in the countryside. |
| un grand-père | a grandfather | Mon grand-père me raconte des histoires. = My grandfather tells me stories. |
| une grand-mère | a grandmother | Ma grand-mère fait les meilleurs gâteaux. = My grandmother makes the best cakes. |
| un pépé | a grandpa | Mon pépé m’emmène à la pêche. = My grandpa takes me fishing. |
| un papi | a grandpa | Mon papi adore le jardinage. = My grandpa loves gardening. |
| une mémé | a grandma / meemaw | Ma mémé habite près de chez nous. = My grandma lives near us. |
| une mamie | a grandma / meemaw | Ma mamie est très douce. = My grandma is very sweet. |
| les petits-enfants | grandchildren | Les petits-enfants visitent souvent leurs grands-parents. = The grandchildren often visit their grandparents. |
| un petit-fils | a grandson | Mon petit-fils joue au football. = My grandson plays soccer. |
| une petite-fille | a granddaughter | Ma petite-fille aime lire. = My granddaughter loves to read. |
| les arrière-grands-parents | great-grandparents | Mes arrière-grands-parents sont toujours en vie. = My great-grandparents are still alive. |
| un arrière-grand-père | a great-grandfather | Mon arrière-grand-père a 90 ans. = My great-grandfather is 90 years old. |
| une arrière-grand-mère | a great-grandmother | Mon arrière-grand-mère fait du tricot. = My great-grandmother knits. |
| les arrière-petits-enfants | great-grandchildren | Les arrière-petits-enfants rendent visite à leur arrière-grand-mère. = The great-grandchildren visit their great-grandmother. |
| un arrière-petit-fils | a great-grandson | Mon arrière-petit-fils est né l’année dernière. = My great-grandson was born last year. |
| une arrière-petite-fille | a great-granddaughter | Mon arrière-petite-fille adore dessiner. = My great-granddaughter loves to draw. |
| un oncle | an uncle | Mon oncle est professeur. = My uncle is a teacher. |
| un tonton | an uncle | Mon tonton vient nous rendre visite ce week-end. = My uncle is coming to visit us this weekend. |
| une tante | an aunt | Ma tante vit en Espagne. = My aunt lives in Spain. |
| une tata | an auntie | Ma tata me gâte beaucoup. = My auntie spoils me a lot. |
| un cousin | a cousin (male) | Mon cousin habite à Londres. = My cousin lives in London. |
| un arrière-cousin | a great cousin (male) | Mon arrière-cousin est très drôle. = My great cousin is very funny. |
| une cousine | a cousin (female) | Ma cousine étudie à l’université. = My cousin studies at the university. |
| une arrière-cousine | a great cousin (female) | Mon arrière-cousine est venue nous voir. = My great cousin came to see us. |
| un neveu | a nephew | Mon neveu joue du piano. = My nephew plays the piano. |
| une nièce | a niece | Ma nièce aime les chevaux. = My niece loves horses. |
| un demi-frère | a half-brother | J’ai un demi-frère plus âgé. = I have an older half-brother. |
| une demi-sœur | a half-sister | Ma demi-sœur vit à New York. = My half-sister lives in New York. |
Godparents & Godchildren
Terms for godparents and their godchildren.
| French Word | English Translation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| un parrain | a godfather | Mon parrain m’a offert un beau cadeau. = My godfather gave me a beautiful gift. |
| une marraine | a godmother | Ma marraine est dentiste. = My godmother is a dentist. |
| un filleul | a godson | Mon filleul a six ans. = My godson is six years old. |
| une filleule | a goddaughter | Ma filleule aime la danse. = My goddaughter loves dancing. |
Adoptive & Foster Family
Words for adoptive, biological, and foster family members.
| French Word | English Translation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| une famille adoptive | an adoptive family | Ils ont une famille adoptive très unie. = They have a very close adoptive family. |
| des parents adoptifs | adoptive parents | Ses parents adoptifs sont formidables. = Her adoptive parents are wonderful. |
| un père adoptif | an adoptive father | Son père adoptif est très attentionné. = Her adoptive father is very caring. |
| une mère adoptive | an adoptive mother | Sa mère adoptive est très gentille. = Her adoptive mother is very kind. |
| un fils adoptif | an adoptive son | Ils ont un fils adoptif. = They have an adoptive son. |
| une fille adoptive | an adoptive daughter | Julie est leur fille adoptive. = Julie is their adoptive daughter. |
| un père biologique | a biological father | Il n’a jamais rencontré son père biologique. = He never met his biological father. |
| une mère biologique | a biological mother | Elle ressemble beaucoup à sa mère biologique. = She looks a lot like her biological mother. |
| une famille d’accueil | a foster family | Elle vit avec une famille d’accueil. = She lives with a foster family. |
| un père d’accueil | a foster father | Son père d’accueil s’occupe bien de lui. = His foster father takes good care of him. |
| une mère d’accueil | a foster mother | Sa mère d’accueil l’a élevée avec amour. = Her foster mother raised her with love. |
| un enfant placé en famille d’accueil | a foster child | Cet enfant placé en famille d’accueil a trouvé un nouveau foyer. = This foster child found a new home. |
Special Terms: Birth Order
French has special words for the oldest, second-born, and youngest child in a family.
| French Word | English Translation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| un aîné / une aînée | the oldest / eldest child | Mon frère aîné s’appelle Paul. = My oldest brother is named Paul. |
| un cadet / une cadette | the second-born / a younger child | Ma sœur cadette a quinze ans. = My younger sister is fifteen years old. |
| le benjamin / la benjamine | the youngest child in the family | Elle est la benjamine de la famille. = She is the youngest child in the family. |
2)Understanding Step-Family and In-Law Terminology in French
In French, there’s no distinction between step-family and family-in-law. Both are equivalent to beau- or belle- plus the family member’s word.
- un beau-père = step-father, father-in-law
- une belle-mère = step-mother, mother-in-law
- un beau-frère = step-brother, brother-in-law
- une belle-sœur = step-sister, sister-in-law
- un beau-fils = step-son, son-in-law
- une belle-fille = step-daughter, daughter-in-law
There are some additional terms for in-laws:
- les beaux-parents, la belle-famille = in-laws
- le gendre = son-in-law
- la bru/la belle-fille = daughter-in-law (‘bru’ is rarely used, we prefer to improperly use the word ‘belle-fille’, step-daughter, which normally refers to the spouse’s daughter.)
As there is no distinction between step-family and family-in-law in French, what’s the difference? Une famille recomposée, a step-family, has to do with a spouse who has children from a previous relationship: Let’s see some examples:
- La nouvelle épouse de mon père est ma belle-mère et je suis sa belle-fille.
My father’s new wife is my step-mother (belle-mère) and I am her step-daughter (belle-fille)
- La fille de ma belle-mère est ma quasi-sœur, et je suis son quasi-frère.
My step-mother’s daughter is my half-sister (quasi-sœur) and I am his half-brother (quasi-frère) Usually, we use demi-frère or demi-sœur for the example above, but when the children are not blood-related, meaning that they don’t share a parent in the step-family, it should be ‘quasi-sœur’ and ‘quasi-frère’.
- Un enfant né de mon père et de ma belle-mère, ou de ma mère et de mon beau-père est mon demi-frère (half-brother) ou ma demi-sœur (half-sister).
A child born to my father and stepmother or mother and stepfather is my half-brother or half-sister.
- La fille de mon nouveau mari est ma belle-fille et je suis sa belle-mère.
My new husband’s daughter is my step-daughter (belle-fille) and I am her step-mother (belle-mère). And we will finish with the family-in-law: La belle-famille (family-in-law) is your spouse’s family and the family of your sibling’s spouse.
- La mère de mon mari est ma belle-mère et je suis sa belle-fille.
My husband’s mother is my mother-in-law (belle-mère) and I am her daughter-in-law (belle-fille or bru).
- La sœur de ma femme est ma belle-sœur et je suis son beau-frère.
My wife’s sister is my sister-in-law (beau-sœur) and I am her brother-in-law (beau-frère).
- Le mari de ma fille est mon gendre et je suis son beau-père.
My daughter’s husband is my son-in-law (gendre) and I am his father-in-law (beau-père).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is les parents the same as “relatives” in English?
No. In everyday French, les parents usually means “parents” — a person’s mother and father. In more formal contexts, the singular un parent can also mean “a relative.” To refer clearly to relatives in general, you can say la famille or les membres de la famille.
What’s the difference between maman and mère?
Maman is the familiar and affectionate word for “mom.” It is commonly used when speaking directly to your mother or talking about her informally. Mère means “mother” and sounds more neutral or formal.
How do you say “siblings” in French?
The most common expression is les frères et sœurs, which literally means “brothers and sisters.” French does not have one everyday word used as commonly as the English word “siblings.”
How do you say “half-brother” and “half-sister” in French?
“Half-brother” is un demi-frère, and “half-sister” is une demi-sœur. These terms describe siblings who share only one biological parent.
What do aîné, cadet and benjamin mean?
L’aîné or l’aînée is the eldest child. Le cadet or la cadette refers to a younger child and can also mean the second-born, depending on the context. Le benjamin or la benjamine is the youngest child in the family.
I trust you found this lesson on family vocabulary in French helpful. If you prefer visual learning, you can also watch the accompanying video below. Should you have any questions or need further clarification, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Happy learning!
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