1.1 La famille — Family Vocabulary

Core family words

la mère (mother), le père (father), le frère / la sœur (brother/sister), le fils / la fille (son/daughter), les parents (parents). Note la fille means both 'daughter' and 'girl.'

Extended family

le grand-père / la grand-mère (grandfather/grandmother), l'oncle / la tante (uncle/aunt), le cousin / la cousine (cousin), le mari / la femme (husband/wife), les grands-parents (grandparents).

Articles and gender

French nouns are masculine (le) or feminine (la); before a vowel both become l'. Plural is les. Family pairs often add -e for feminine: cousin → cousine.

Key terms

la mère / le père

mother / father

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 (m. / f.)

Try an AP-style question

The son of your uncle is your…

1. neveu
2. beau-frère
3. cousin
4. petit-fils