Imagine having a secret code that helps you guess dozens of words before you've even studied them. In Spanish, family words are like a matching puzzle where changing just one letter swaps a brother to a sister. Let's unlock this pattern!
Words to own
- la familia
- family (this word is singular, even if your family is huge!)
- el padre
- father (you will often hear 'papá' for dad)
- la madre
- mother (you will often hear 'mamá' for mum)
- el hermano / la hermana
- brother / sister (remember that the 'h' is completely silent!)
- el abuelo / la abuela
- grandfather / grandmother (grandparents are called 'los abuelos')
- el primo / la prima
- male cousin / female cousin (Spanish uses different endings for boy and girl cousins)
- el tío / la tía
- uncle / aunt (watch out for the written accent on the letter 'í')
- los hermanos
- siblings or brothers (a mixed-gender group of brothers and sisters)
The Magic Ending Swaps
Most Spanish family words are like mirrors. If you know the boy version, you almost always know the girl version! You just swap the ending letter.
If 'el abuelo' is grandfather, you change the 'o' to 'a' and get 'la abuela' for grandmother. The same trick works for cousins: 'el primo' (boy cousin) becomes 'la prima' (girl cousin). This handy pattern makes learning family words twice as fast!
| Point | Masculine / Singular | Feminine / Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Cousin | el primo (male cousin) | la prima (female cousin) |
| Grandparents | mi abuelo (my grandpa) | mis abuelos (my grandparents) |
| Siblings | un hermano (a brother) | los hermanos (the siblings) |
| Uncle / Aunt | el tío (the uncle) | la tía (the aunt) |
Phrase deck
1/8 seen
The Exceptions: Mother and Father
A few words do not follow the simple '-o' to '-a' swap because they are completely different people! Just like in English, 'father' and 'mother' do not look alike.
In Spanish, we use 'el padre' (father) and 'la madre' (mother). To sound extra warm and friendly, you can say 'papá' and 'mamá'. Make sure to put the stress on that last letter so you do not accidentally say 'papa' (potato)!
The pattern
Possessive Adjectives: My (Mi vs Mis)
Use 'mi' for one family member, and 'mis' for two or more family members, regardless of gender.
- my uncle (one person, male)
- my aunt (one person, female)
- my uncles / my aunt and uncle (multiple people)
- my aunts (multiple people, all female)
The Mixed-Group Secret
What happens if you want to talk about your brother and your sister together? In English, you have to use a completely different word: 'siblings'.
In Spanish, there is a clever shortcut. You just use the masculine plural word! 'Los hermanos' means 'the siblings' (brothers and sisters together). 'Los abuelos' means your grandfather and grandmother together (your grandparents).
Whose is it? Sharing Ownership with 'Mi' and 'Mis'
To talk about your own family, you need the word for 'my'. In Spanish, this is 'mi'. Unlike other describing words, 'mi' does not care if a family member is a boy or a girl.
You say 'mi padre' and 'mi madre' using the exact same 'mi'. However, it does care about numbers! If you are talking about more than one person, you must add an 's' to make it 'mis'. You say 'mi hermano' (one brother) but 'mis hermanos' (my brothers or my siblings).
Role-play
Showing family photos
Listen and type
0/6 done
No peeking — press play, then write down exactly what you hear.
Conversación
Sign in to chat out loud with Profe Lucía, your Spanish partner.
Myth-busting corner
Myth'Mis' is used for boys/masculine family members and 'mi' is used for girls/feminine family members.
TruthNo! 'Mi' and 'mis' do not care about gender. We use 'mi' for singular (mi tía, mi tío) and 'mis' for plural (mis tías, mis tíos).
Myth'Los hermanos' only ever means 'the brothers' and leaves out sisters.
TruthIn Spanish, the masculine plural 'los hermanos' is the normal way to say 'the siblings'. It includes brothers and sisters together unless you specifically specify otherwise.
Exam answer that scores full marks
Explain the pattern that connects most masculine and feminine family words in Spanish, and how we write 'my grandparents' in Spanish.
Most masculine family words ending in -o change to -a to become feminine, such as 'el abuelo' (grandfather) becoming 'la abuela' (grandmother). To write 'my grandparents', we combine the plural possessive adjective 'mis' with the masculine plural noun 'abuelos' to get 'mis abuelos'. The masculine plural 'abuelos' represents a mixed-gender group (grandfather and grandmother).
Why it scores
- Accurately explains the -o to -a gender pattern with a clear example.
- Correctly identifies that 'mis' is used for plural nouns and does not change for gender.
- Explains why the masculine plural form 'abuelos' is used for a mixed pair of grandparents.