Family Vocabulary

Your family members are also called your relatives. You have an immediate or
nuclear family and an extended family. Your immediate family includes your
father, mother and siblings. Your extended family includes all of the people in your
father and mother's families.
Your sibling is your brother or sister. If you have 1 brother and 2 sisters, then you
have 3 siblings. Your parent is your father or mother. Your child is your son or
daughter. Your spouse is your husband or wife.
You may also have a stepfamily. Your stepfamily includes people who became part
of your family due to changes in family life. These changes may include death,
divorce or separation. New partnerships create new children. The new children and
their relatives become part of your blended family. Some people are born into a
stepfamily.
Note that spouses and step-relatives are relatives by marriage. They are not
blood relatives. Your father and mother are related by marriage. But your father
and you are related by blood.

my relatives
male

I usually call

female

relationship to me

mother

relative of whom I am Father,

the child
Daddy, Dad,
Papa

Mother, Mummy,
Mum, Mommy, Mom,
Mama, Ma

we have the same

father and mother

first name;
sometimes
Bro

first name; sometimes

Sis

sibling of my parent

Uncle [first
name]

Aunt/Auntie [first
name]

parent of my parent

Grandfather,
Grandpa

Grandmother,
Grandma

cousin

child of my uncle or
aunt

first name

spouse

relative to whom I am first name

parent
father
sibling
brother

sister

uncle

aunt

grandparent
grandfather

grandmother

him...

her...

husband wife

married

my relatives
male

female

child
son

daughter

nephew

niece

grandchild

I usually call
relationship to me

him...

her...

relative of whom I am first name

the parent
child of my sibling

first name

child of my child

first name

grandso
n

granddaughter

great
grandfather

great
grandmother

parent of my
grandparent

Great
Grandpa

Great Grandma

fatherin-law

mother
in-law

parent of my spouse

first name;
Dad

first name; Mum, Mom

brotherin-law

sister in- sibling of my spouse; first name

law
spouse of my sibling

exex-wife
husband

my previous spouse
(we divorced)

halfbrother

my sibling born to my first name

father or mother but
not both

halfsister

step-parent
stepfather

stepmother

step-child
step-son stepdaughter

first name

new spouse of one of first name

my parents

child of my spouse
but not of me

first name

In a family, the word generation means all the people in one stage of the family.
For example, your parents are one generation, you and your siblings are the next
generation, and your children and their cousins are another generation.

1. Word practice
Find a photograph of you with your family. Label yourself as "me" and then label the
other people in relationship to you (eg "mother", "sister", "brother" etc). You can do
this with a marker pen or graphics program.
Encontrar una fotografa de usted con su familia. Etiquetar a s mismo como "yo" y
as dan nombre a las otras personas en relacin con usted (por ejemplo, "madre",
"hermana", "hermano", etc). Usted puede hacer esto con un programa rotulador o
grficos.
2. Reading Practice
Read the following birth announcement. Then answer the questions below it.
(Answers at bottom of page.)
Paul and Kerry McDonald would like to welcome their new son Christopher Casey to
the clan! Weighing 4.2 kilograms, Chris was born on January 2nd at 3:30pm. He will
join sister Rachel, 6 and brother Malcolm, 4 in the McDonald household in
Vancouver, Canada. Christopher's proud aunts Kathy McDonald and Sherry Smith
were present at his birth. Grandparents, Lisa and Mike Smith were also present.
Chris's grandmother in Texas will be arriving soon to meet her new grandson.
Cousins Jerry, Fern, and Lindsay can't wait to meet baby Chris too! The proud
parents would like to thank all of their extended family for the warm wishes and
gifts.
1. What is Christopher's mother's name?
2. Who are Christopher's siblings?
3. How is Kathy McDonald related to the newborn?
4. Who will be coming to see Chris soon ?
5. Who is Kathy in relation to Kerry?
3. Writing Practice
a) Make your own birth announcement. You don't have to include all of your family
members. Make sure to mention some of your extended relatives. Which family
members were present at the time of your birth?
b) Create your own family tree in English. Add the names of your family members in
the correct spots. Label each family member with their relationship to you (for
example: mother, sister etc).