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French · Vocabulary · A1 to B1

French family vocabulary, around the Sunday table

le repas du dimancheSunday lunch · tap a seat
At this seat moi MWA · me
Moi,mejeImetssetla table.the table
MWA, zhuh meh la TA-bluh“I set the table.”

Short answer: French family words come in masculine and feminine pairs (le frère, la sœur), and “my” changes to match: mon père, ma mère, mes parents. Two traps: les parents also means “relatives”, and beau-père means both stepfather and father-in-law.

Possessives

Mon, ma, mes, and the vowel exception

A possessive shows who something belongs to. In French it matches the person owned, not the owner: son père is “his father” or “her father”. Before a vowel sound, ma becomes mon to keep the sounds apart: mon amie (my female friend), never ma amie.

le wordsla wordsla + vowelplural
my
your (tu)
his / her
In-laws and step-family

Beau-père: one word, two relatives

French uses beau- and belle- (literally “handsome”, “beautiful”) for both in-laws and step-relatives. The context tells you which.

A trap

Les parents: parents or relatives?

One word, two meanings. The small word in front of parents tells you which one is meant.

= mother and fatheryour two parents
Clue words
mestessesnos
Mesmyparentsparentssontaredivorcés.divorced
may pa-RAH(N) soh(n) dee-vor-SAY“My parents are divorced.”Why: A possessive plus a couple-type context: mother and father.
JeIvislivechezatmesmyparents.parents
zhuh vee shay may pa-RAH(N)“I live with my parents.”Why: Chez mes parents is the family home: your mum and dad.
= relativesanyone in the wider family
Clue words
desunnos proches
J’aiI-havedessomeparentsrelativesau Canada.in Canada
zhay day pa-RAH(N) oh ka-na-DA“I have relatives in Canada.”Why: Des (some) counts people: you only have two parents, so these are relatives.
C’esthe-isunaparentrelativeéloigné.distant
seh tuh(n) pa-RAH(N) ay-lwa-NYAY“He’s a distant relative.”Why: Un parent on its own is almost always “a relative”.

To avoid any doubt, French speakers say mes parents only for mother and father, and ma famille or mes proches (my close ones) for everyone else.

Dialogue

A phone call with mamie

Children say mamie and papi for grandma and grandpa. Notice how family talk uses tu throughout.

Mamie
Allô,hellomon chéri !my darling
a-LOH, moh(n) shay-REE · “Hello, darling!”
Toi
Saluthimamie !grandmaÇa va ?how’s-it-going
sa-LÜ ma-MEE ! sa VA · “Hi grandma! How are you?”
Mamie
Très bien.very wellEtandtesyourparents ?parents
treh BYAN. ay tay pa-RAH(N) · “Very well. And your parents?”
Toi
Ilstheyvontgobien,wellilstheyt’embrassent.send-you-love
eel voh(n) BYAN, eel tah(n)-BRASS · “They’re fine, they send their love.”
Mamie
Tuyouvienscomedimanche ?Sunday
tü vyan dee-MAH(N)SH · “Are you coming on Sunday?”
Toi
Oui,yesavecwithmamysœur.sister
WEE, a-VEK ma SUR · “Yes, with my sister.”
Family events

Naissance, mariage, décès

The words for life’s big moments, with what people say when they hear the news.

EventVerbYou say
la naissancebirthnaîtreto be born (est né)Félicitations !Congratulations!
le mariagewedding, marriagese marierto get marriedTous mes vœux de bonheur !Every happiness!
le PACScivil partnershipse pacserto register a partnershipFélicitations à vous deux !Congratulations to you both!
le divorcedivorcedivorcerto divorceJe suis désolé(e).I’m sorry.
le décèsdeathmourirto die (est mort)Toutes mes condoléances.My condolences.
Who looks like who

Il ressemble à sa mère

Ilheressembleresemblesàtosa mère.his mother
eel ruh-SANBL a sa MAIR · “He looks like his mother.”Why: ressembler takes à: ressembler à quelqu’un.
C’estit-isle portraitthe portraitde son père.of his father
say luh por-TRAY duh son PAIR · “He’s the spitting image of his father.”Why: Literally “the portrait of”.
Ellesheahasles yeuxthe eyesde sa grand-mère.of her grandmother
el a lay ZYUH duh sa gran-MAIR · “She has her grandmother’s eyes.”Why: French uses de, not a possessive ’s.
Ilstheyse ressemblenteach-other resemblecomme deux gouttes d’eau.like two drops of-water
eel suh ruh-SANBL kom duh GOOT DOH · “They’re like two peas in a pod.”Why: “Like two drops of water”: the French idiom for lookalikes.
Related guides

Where this page leads

Each guide picks up something you met at the Sunday table.

A1 Le, la, lesWhy every family word carries le or la, and how to tell which. From this pagela tante, le cousinthe aunt, the (male) cousin → A1 Silent letters and liaisonWhy mon amie is said “moh-na-mee”: the hidden n links to the vowel. From this pagemon amie · ses enfantsmy friend · his/her children → A1 The present tenseThe verbs in the table scenes: coupe, sert, arrive, vient. From this pageMa mère sert le plat.My mother serves the main course. → A1 NumbersAges and birthdays: avoir + number + ans. From this pageMon frère a douze ans.My brother is twelve. → A2 Register: tu and vousWhy the phone call uses tu, and when family switches to vous. From this pageTu viens dimanche ?Are you coming on Sunday? →