How to Talk About Your Family in English

Learn the words and phrases you need to talk about your family.

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By Barney Meekin · July 15, 2024 · 9 minute read

A common topic of conversation is talking about your family members. People often ask about family to get to know each other, so learning how to share your family experiences and values in English is important.

In this article, you’ll learn the words and phrases you need to talk about your family. Discover everything from words to describe nuclear and extended family members to non-traditional family types, along with some famous proverbs and idioms.

The nuclear family vocabulary

Let's start with the basics. The nuclear family consists of you and your closest family members. Here are the keywords:

Parents: Your mother (also called ‘mom’ or ‘mommy’) and father (also called ‘dad’ or ‘daddy’)
Siblings: Brothers and sisters
Children: Sons and daughters
Spouse: Your husband or wife
Grandparents: Your grandmother (also called ‘grandma’ or ‘nana’) and grandfather (also called ‘grandpa’)

The extended family vocabulary

The extended family consists of your other relatives. Nuclear families tend to be small, but extended families can be large. Here are some key terms:

Aunt or auntie: Your parent's sister
Uncle: Your parent's brother
Cousin: The child of your aunt or uncle
Niece: The daughter of your sibling
Nephew: The son of your sibling
Great-grandparents: The parents of your grandparents
In-laws: The family of your spouse (mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law)

Family roles and responsibilities

All families have a unique structure, with different members taking on various roles and responsibilities. The table below shows some of the most common family roles.

Vocabulary for family roles

Family role	Definition	Example sentence
Breadwinner	The person (usually a parent) who earns most of the money for the family	Traditionally, fathers were the breadwinners, but nowadays, mothers are responsible for earning money too.
Stay-at-home parent	A parent who cares for children, cleans, cooks, and runs the household.	I want to be a stay-at-home parent because I remember feeling lonely when both my parents were out at work and I was at home on my own.
Caregiver	A family member who cares for elderly, ill, or disabled relatives	My mom is struggling with dementia, but luckily, my sister is a fantastic caregiver.
Head of the household	The person who makes major decisions and manages the family	My father is the head of the household, but he only makes a decision after asking everyone else what they think.
Disciplinarian	The parent or family member who enforces rules and disciplines children	My mother is strict. She’s the disciplinarian in our family, and she makes sure we follow the rules.

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Non-traditional families

Traditional families include a husband, a wife and children. But many families don’t follow this pattern. Here are some expressions you can use to talk about non-traditional families.

Vocabulary for non-traditional families

Type of family	Definition	Example sentence
Single-parent family	A family with only one parent bringing up the children, often because of divorce or the death of a parent	My parents got divorced when I was young, so I lived with my mom and grew up in a single-parent family.
Blended family	A family formed when parents remarry after divorce or the death of a spouse, joining two families together. A blended family can include stepmothers, stepfathers, stepbrothers, and stepsisters.	After my mom died, my dad remarried, so I live in a blended family with two stepbrothers and my lovely stepmother.
Adoptive family	Adoptive families include adopted children. Adoption is when a parent voluntarily accepts a child of other parents to be their own child.	My parents adopted me when I was two years old. My adoptive family is the only family I’ve ever known.
Same-sex parent family	A family with two mothers or two fathers. This type of family is becoming more common and accepted in Western cultures.	My two dads have been together for 20 years, and we were one of the first same-sex parent families in our city.
Multigenerational household	A family where grandparents, parents and children live together	I live in a multigenerational household with my parents, grandparents and sisters.

Adjectives to describe a family

Here are some adjectives you can use to describe your family.

Family adjectives

Adjective	Definition	Example sentence
Close-knit or tight-knit	Having close ties and a good relationship	We do everything together, and we hardly ever fight. We’re a really close-knit family.
Dysfunctional	A dysfunctional family has many problems affecting the family members’ basic needs, such as fighting, violence, abuse, addiction, and financial problems.	My childhood was tough because I grew up in a dysfunctional family.
Estranged	When family members don’t communicate or have a connection with each other.	My cousin and her parents have been estranged for several years because they had a huge argument about her choice of boyfriend.
Loving	Feeling and showing affection to each other	To be a loving family, it’s important to be kind and show each other how much you love each other.

Discussing family challenges

Life isn’t smooth for many people, and families face various challenges. Here’s vocabulary to discuss some of the common challenges.

Vocabulary to discuss family challenges

Family challenge	Definition	Example sentence
Divorce	When parents end their marriage	My parents divorced last year, so now I split my time between their two homes.
Illness	When a family member is sick and needs care	My grandmother is battling a long-term illness, so our family takes turns taking her to the hospital and supporting her during treatment.
Loss	The death of a family member	The loss of my uncle has been difficult for the whole family. I know my cousins and auntie miss him so much.
Financial hardship	When a family struggles to have enough money for living expenses	When my father’s business failed, my family went through a period of financial hardship. We had to be very careful with money until he managed to get a new job.
Addiction	When a family member struggles with alcohol, drugs, gambling or some other damaging problem.	My uncle had a terrible gambling addiction, and his family had to sell their house to pay his debts.

More family words in English

In addition to all of the family vocabulary we’ve already mentioned, English has many special expressions to describe family relationships. These expressions often consist of two or more words, so you’ll need to use the whole phrase to express the right meaning. The table below lists a few of these useful expressions.

Special expressions to describe family relationships

Expression	Meaning	Example sentence
Take after	To be similar in appearance or personality to a family member (usually a parent, but could be any older relative, such as an aunt or uncle)	I take after my father more than my mother. We're both outgoing and active, but my mom prefers to stay home and read.
Look up to	To admire and respect an older family member.	I really look up to my older sister. It’s amazing how she created such a successful business. She's always been a great role model for me.
Get along well	To like and have a good relationship with a family member.	My brother and I usually get along well, but we sometimes argue about stupid little things like sports or whose turn it is to tidy the kitchen.
Don’t see eye to eye	When you don’t agree with someone about a specific issue, such as politics or religion	I love my parents, but we don’t see eye to eye when it comes to politics.

Idioms and proverbs about families

Finally, here are some idioms and proverbs you can use when discussing families.

Blood is thicker than water.
This proverb means family bonds will always be stronger than non-family relationships.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
This idiom means that children are usually similar to their parents.
‘Like father, like son’ or ‘like mother, like daughter.’
This idiom is similar to “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” It means that children often share similarities with their parents.
A family that eats together stays together. This idiom means sharing meals is a great way to strengthen family bonds.
Charity begins at home. This proverb reminds us to care for our family (and people nearby) before helping others.

Describe your family with these words

Because your family is such a huge part of your life, learning how to talk about them in English is a great idea. Memorizing the words from this article about nuclear and extended family members, non-traditional families and family challenges is a great start, and the other expressions and idioms we’ve listed will also be useful in everyday conversation.

(For some tips on learning new English vocabulary, check out our guide on proven ways to memorize vocabulary.)

Once you’ve learned some family vocabulary, it’s time to get out there and practice using them! Practice is the key to learning English vocabulary. So practice, reflect, and practice again.

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