AP Spanish Language & Culture · Unit 1: Families & Communities

1.1 La familia — Family Vocabulary

Core family words

Learn the household: la madre (mother), el padre (father), el hermano / la hermana (brother/sister), el abuelo / la abuela (grandfather/grandmother), el hijo / la hija (son/daughter). Los padres means 'the parents.'

Extended family

El tío / la tía (uncle/aunt), el primo / la prima (cousin), el sobrino / la sobrina (nephew/niece), el esposo / la esposa (husband/wife), el nieto / la nieta (grandson/granddaughter).

Gender and articles

Spanish nouns have gender. Most words ending in -o are masculine (el) and -a are feminine (la). Family words often come in pairs that swap the ending: hijo/hija, abuelo/abuela.

Key terms

la madre / el padre: mother / father
el hermano / la hermana: brother / sister
el abuelo / la abuela: grandfather / grandmother
el tío / la tía: uncle / aunt
el primo / la prima: cousin (male / female)

Try an AP-style question

The daughter of your aunt is your…

cuñada
sobrina
prima
nieta

Show the answer

C. Cousin (f).

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