20 LA FAMIGLIA
family
Rossella Pescatori; Caren Bernezet Parrish; Shahrzad Zahedi; and William J. Carrasco
Learning Objectives
In this section, you will learn how to:
- Identify family members
- Talk about family relations
Studiamo !
“Father” by designerlisahenry, pixabay is in the Public Domain
“Bago, Myanmar family” by Arian Zwegers is licensed under CC BY 2.0In this section, we are going to talk about our families. Here’s some vocabulary you need to know:
| Italiano | Inglese |
|---|---|
| la famiglia | family |
| i genitori | parents |
| la madre | mother |
| la suocera | mother-in-law |
| il padre | father |
| il suocero | father-in-law |
| il marito | spouse (m.) husband |
| la moglie | spouse (f.) wife |
| il coniuge, la coniuge | spouse (m or f) |
| il congiunto/la congiunta | partner |
| il compagno/la compagna | partner |
| la sorella | sister |
| la cognata | sister-in-law |
| la sorella (o sorella acquisita) | half sister |
| il fratello | brother |
| il cognato | brother-in-law |
| il fratello (o fratello acquisito) | half brother |
| il figlio m, la figlia f | child |
| i figli, o i bambini | children |
| il papà | dad |
| la mamma | mom |
| la figlia | daughter |
| la figlia (figliastra) | stepdaughter |
| il figlio | son |
| il figlio (figliastro) | stepson |
| i nonni | grandparent |
| la nonna | grandmother |
| il nonno | grandfather |
| i nipoti | grandchildren |
| il nipote | grandson |
| la nipote | granddaughter |
| lo zio | uncle |
| figlio unico/figlia unica | only child |
| la zia | aunt |
| gemelli/e | twins |
| il nipote | nephew |
| la nipote | niece |
| il cugino | cousin (m.) |
| la cugina | cousin (f.) |
You can identify which side of the family your grandparents are from with the adjectives paterno, materno
| Mother’s side of the family | Father’s side of the family |
|---|---|
| nonna materna | nonna paterna |
| nonno materno | nonno paterno |
You can also distinguish between your famiglia immediata (immediate family) and your famiglia allargata (distant family).
To highlight ages differences among siblings you can use the adjectives maggiore (older, born earlier) and minore (younger, born later)*. You could also use the adjectives grande vs. piccolo:
| brother | sister | |
|---|---|---|
| older | fratello maggiore | sorella maggiore |
| younger | fratello minore | sorella minore |
Here is some additional vocabulary that may be useful:
| Italiano | Inglese |
|---|---|
| sposarsi | to get married |
| divorziare | to get divorced |
| vicino | neighbor |
| single (celibe m, nubile f) | single |
| divorziato | divorced |
| fidanzato/a | engaged |
| sposato/a | married |
| separato/a | separated |
| vedovo/a | widow |
Watch these videos to practice talking about your family:
| Pronomi soggetto | Italiano | Inglese |
|---|---|---|
| io | il mio, la mia, i miei, le mie | my |
| tu (familiare) | il tuo, la tua, i tuoi, le tue | your |
| lui, lei, Lei | il suo, la sua, i suoi, le sue | his or her or Your |
| noi | il nostro, la nostra, i nostri, le nostre | our |
| voi | il vostro, la vostra, i vostri, le vostre | your |
| loro | il loro, la loro, i loro, le loro | their |
NOTICE: in front of all the possessive you need to add the determinative article. However, for singular family members is not requested the article.
Es. Il mio cane. Mio padre
