{"id":167383,"date":"2023-08-23T07:02:25","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T11:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/talk-about-family-in-english\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T09:02:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:02:12","slug":"talk-about-family-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/talk-about-family-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Talk About Your Family in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talking about yourself often leads people to start asking about your family.\u00a0Just in case that happens, it’s a good idea to have some words and phrases ready.<\/p>\n

Here are some general vocabulary terms and phrases in English you’ll need to tell everyone about your family.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

People generally begin a conversation about family with simple phrases like these:<\/p>\n

Do you have any family around here?<\/em><\/p>\n

Tell me about your family.<\/em><\/p>\n

If that’s the case, you can give a short description that tells the other person how big is your family is and maybe where they live.<\/p>\n

Here’s an example:<\/p>\n

There are six people in my family\u2014me, my parents, brother and two sisters and we live in…<\/em><\/p>\n

This gives a general picture of your family<\/a> and gets the conversation going.<\/p>\n

And depending on where that conversation takes you, you’ll want to have the following words in your arsenal!<\/p>\n

Terms to Describe Types of Family Structures<\/h2>\n

You’ll need to be familiar with\u00a0family structures<\/a>\u00a0to accurately describe your family members.<\/p>\n

Immediate family\u2014talking about those closest to you<\/h3>\n

Here are some more questions people usually ask:<\/p>\n

How big is your family?<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you have any brothers or sisters?<\/em><\/p>\n

When people ask these questions, they usually want to know about your immediate family<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>This means the family closest to you and who may or may not live with you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
parents <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>father and mother<\/td> wife <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>female partner through marriage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
siblings <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>brothers and sisters<\/td> stepfather <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your mother's new husband if she remarries<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
children <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>sons and daughters<\/td> stepmother <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your father's new wife if he remarries<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
spouse <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>partner through marriage (any gender)<\/td> stepbrother <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>son of your parent's new spouse;
\nyour brother through marriage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
husband <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>male partner through marriage<\/td> stepsister <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>daughter of your parent's new spouse;
\n your sister through marriage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Extended family\u2014discussing other family members related by blood<\/h3>\n

People might also ask you questions like these:<\/p>\n

Do you live with your grandparents?<\/em><\/p>\n

How often do you see your cousins?<\/em><\/p>\n

Usually they ask this when they’re interested in finding out about your extended family<\/strong>.\u00a0Your extended family includes relatives like your grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
grandparents <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>grandfather and grandmother<\/td> aunt <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your parent's sister<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
maternal grandparents <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your mother's parents<\/td> cousin <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your uncle or aunt's child (any gender)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
paternal grandparents <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your father's parents<\/td> nephew <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>male child of your sibling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
grandchildren <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>grandsons and granddaughters
\n
\n<\/td>		 niece <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>female child of your sibling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
uncle <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your parent's brother<\/td><\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Family by marriage\u2014discussing family related to your spouse<\/h3>\n

When you marry, your family grows bigger. A question you might hear is:<\/p>\n

Does your spouse come from a big family?<\/em><\/p>\n

After marriage, you now have a new set of relatives from your spouse’s side of the family called your in-laws<\/strong>.\u00a0The conversation might not go this way, but if it does, you’ll be ready!<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
father-in-law <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your spouse's father<\/td> sister-in-law <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your spouse's sister<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
mother-in-law <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your spouse's mother<\/td> nephew <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>son of brother- and sister-in-law<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
brother-in-law <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>your spouse's brother<\/td> niece <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>daughter of your brother- and sister-in-law<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

All right, let’s move on to\u00a0some useful expressions\u00a0you can use to\u00a0talk about your family relationships.<\/p>\n

Expressions to Describe Your Family<\/h2>\n

To look like<\/h4>\n

To look like<\/em> means to resemble someone physically or to be similar in appearance to someone.<\/p>\n

If you’re tall with big eyes like your older sister, you’d say:<\/p>\n

I look like<\/strong> my older sister.<\/em><\/p>\n

To take after<\/h4>\n

To take after<\/em> means to look or behave (act) like someone older than you in your family. Some of your family may walk, talk or even smile just like another family member.<\/p>\n

So if your father and sister both like to gesture with (move) their hands when talking, you’d say:<\/p>\n

My sister takes after<\/strong> my father in the way she waves her hands around when she talks.<\/em><\/p>\n

To run in the family<\/h4>\n

To run in the family<\/em> refers to a quality, ability or skill that’s shared by all or many of your family members. Some families may have lots of members who are good at sports, music, cooking, etc.<\/p>\n

It could also be that many of your family members have thick curly hair, so then you’d say:<\/p>\n

Thick curly hair runs in my family<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Like father, like son<\/h4>\n

In many cases, a son’s character or behavior closely resembles (is similar to) that of his father.<\/p>\n

For example, if both your father and brother like to spend their money wisely, you’d say:<\/p>\n

He spends money like our dad\u2014like father, like son<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chip off the old block<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another expression that’s similar in meaning is a chip off the old block<\/em>. In this expression, the chip refers to a small piece of wood (the son) that’s part of a bigger piece or the block (the father).<\/p>\n

So then you’d say:<\/p>\n

My brother is a chip off the old block<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Both of the above expressions are generally used when referring to male members of the family.<\/p>\n

To have something in common<\/h4>\n

The expression to have something in common<\/em> refers to two or more people in a family sharing similar interests, likes and dislikes.<\/p>\n

If you’re asked this, you could talk about your shared interests:<\/p>\n

What do you and your family like to do?<\/em><\/p>\n

For example, you could answer:<\/p>\n

My siblings, cousins and I have<\/strong> many things in common<\/strong>. We enjoy camping, cycling and playing board games.<\/em><\/p>\n

The opposite of this would be:<\/p>\n

I don’t have<\/strong> much in common<\/strong> with my brothers. They’re much older than me and we have different interests.<\/em><\/p>\n

To be named after<\/h4>\n

To be named after<\/em> someone is to give someone the same name (usually the same first name) as an older family member. This is commonly done in honor and respect for the older person.<\/p>\n

For example, this would mean you have the same name as your grandmother:<\/p>\n

I was named after<\/strong> my grandmother.<\/em><\/p>\n

So if your grandmother’s name is Esther, your name would also be Esther.<\/p>\n

To get along with<\/h4>\n

To get along with<\/em> means to have a good relationship with someone.<\/p>\n

If you say this, it means you agree on many things and have a good relationship:<\/p>\n

I get along<\/strong> very well with<\/strong> my younger sister.<\/em><\/p>\n

The opposite would be this, which means the relationship between you and your cousin isn’t very good:<\/p>\n

I don’t get along with<\/strong> my cousin.<\/em><\/p>\n

To be on good terms<\/h4>\n

To be on good terms<\/em> also means to have a good relationship with someone.<\/p>\n

If you and your sister get along very well, then you’d say:<\/p>\n

I’m on good terms with<\/strong> my sister.<\/em><\/p>\n

The opposite would be:<\/p>\n

I’m not on good terms with<\/strong> my cousin.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you and your cousin are not even talking to each other, you can also say:<\/p>\n

I’m not on speaking terms with<\/strong> my cousin.<\/em><\/p>\n

To be close to<\/h4>\n

To be close to<\/em> means that you have a close relationship that cannot easily be broken.<\/p>\n

If you say this, you’re saying that you enjoy being with your mother and sister, get along very well and have a strong relationship:<\/p>\n

I’m very close to<\/strong> my mother and sister.<\/em><\/p>\n

To look up to<\/h4>\n

To look up to<\/em> means to respect and admire someone else.<\/p>\n

If you say this, it means you respect and admire the things your brother says and does:<\/p>\n

I’ve always looked up to<\/strong> my older brother.<\/em><\/p>\n

To get together<\/h4>\n

To get together<\/em> means to meet up and do things together.<\/p>\n

If someone asks you:<\/p>\n

How often do you see your family?<\/em><\/p>\n

You might say:<\/p>\n

We get together<\/strong> every weekend to play soccer, watch a movie or eat pizza.<\/em><\/p>\n

To start a family<\/h4>\n

To start a family<\/em> means to start having children. You might hear your parents ask you:<\/p>\n

When are you and your husband\/wife going to start a family<\/strong>? I want grandchildren!<\/em><\/p>\n

Or maybe your brother just sent a text and so you call your best friend saying:<\/p>\n

I just heard that my brother and sister-in-law are planning to start a family<\/strong>. That means I’m going to become an aunt (or uncle) soon!<\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just memorize these words, though. The best way to learn family vocabulary is to see them used by real English speakers.<\/p>\n

You can do that by reading English books<\/a>, listening to English music<\/a> or watching English movies<\/a>. These resources can show you other vocabulary and phrases that you would want to use in daily conversation. They can also describe the situations in which certain expressions or terms are appropriate.<\/p>\n

Certain language learning programs can also help you learn everyday phrases in context. One example is FluentU<\/a>.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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