Family members in Spanish: parents, in-laws, step-family and what people really call them
The family words in Spanish are regular, and you need one rule for most of them. You use the masculine plural for a mixed group, so los padres are your parents and los tíos are your aunts and uncles. What varies by country is what people call each other at home, where an Argentine calls his father el viejo and a Mexican calls her mother la jefa.
Immediate family
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| father | el padre | |
| dad | papá | Stress on the last syllable: pa-PÁ. Papa is the Pope, and a potato in Latin America |
| mother | la madre | |
| mum | mamá | ma-MÁ |
| parents | los padres | Also “fathers”. Parientes means relatives |
| son | el hijo | |
| daughter | la hija | |
| children (sons and daughters) | los hijos | ¿Tienes hijos?, do you have children? |
| brother | el hermano | |
| sister | la hermana | |
| siblings | los hermanos | |
| older / younger brother | el hermano mayor / el hermano menor | Mayor also means elderly |
| twins | los gemelos or los mellizos | See below |
| husband | el esposo or el marido | |
| wife | la esposa or la mujer | Esposas are also handcuffs |
| partner | la pareja | Always feminine, for a man or a woman |
| boyfriend, girlfriend | el novio, la novia | Also fiancé and bride or groom |
Extended family
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| grandfather | el abuelo | |
| grandmother | la abuela | |
| grandparents | los abuelos | |
| grandson, granddaughter | el nieto, la nieta | |
| great-grandfather | el bisabuelo | bis- for great, tatara- for great-great |
| great-grandson | el bisnieto | |
| uncle, aunt | el tío, la tía | In Spain tío and tía also mean “mate” or “guy” |
| cousin | el primo, la prima | primo hermano is a first cousin |
| nephew, niece | el sobrino, la sobrina | |
| relatives | los parientes or los familiares |
In-laws
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| father-in-law | el suegro | |
| mother-in-law | la suegra | |
| parents-in-law | los suegros | |
| son-in-law | el yerno | |
| daughter-in-law | la nuera | |
| brother-in-law | el cuñado | |
| sister-in-law | la cuñada | |
| your spouse’s sibling’s spouse | el concuñado, la concuñada | Common in Mexico |
| your child’s parents-in-law | los consuegros | English has no word for this |
| the in-laws | la familia política | In conversation, often la familia de mi esposo or de mi esposa |
Step-family and blended families
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| stepfather | el padrastro | Neutral in meaning, though some people find it cold |
| stepmother | la madrastra | The fairy-tale word. Many people prefer la pareja de mi padre or la esposa de mi papá |
| stepson, stepdaughter | el hijastro, la hijastra | Same issue. El hijo de mi pareja is softer |
| half-brother, half-sister | el medio hermano, la media hermana | |
| stepbrother, stepsister | el hermanastro, la hermanastra | Also used for half-siblings in everyday speech |
| adopted son | el hijo adoptivo |
The -astro ending has a slightly negative ring, so many families avoid it in conversation and say el hijo de mi pareja or just use the name.
Godparents
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| godfather, godmother | el padrino, la madrina | Also a wedding sponsor, see below |
| godson, goddaughter | el ahijado, la ahijada | |
| your child’s godfather, or your godchild’s father | el compadre | Mexico, Colombia, parts of Spain |
| the same, for a woman | la comadre |
In Mexico, compadres and comadres are a real part of the family. The bond between a child’s parents and godparents is lifelong, and compadre is also used between close male friends. Mexican weddings and quinceañeras have padrinos for the cake, the rings and the music, who help pay for them.
What trips learners up
The masculine plural is for everyone. Los hijos are sons and daughters, los hermanos brothers and sisters, los tíos aunts and uncles, los abuelos grandparents.
Parientes are not parents. Los parientes are relatives. Parents are los padres.
Write papá and mamá with the accent. Without it, papa is the Pope or a potato, and mama is the medical word for a breast.
Casado con, not casado a. Está casada con un mexicano, she is married to a Mexican.
Tener, not ser, for how many. Tengo dos hermanos, I have two siblings. Soy hijo único, I am an only child, is with ser.
Mi mujer sounds different by country. Mi mujer is normal in Spain and Argentina. In Mexico and Colombia mi esposa is more usual, and some people hear mi mujer as possessive. Mi señora is common in Mexico and Colombia among older men.
Gemelos or mellizos. In Spain and Argentina, gemelos are identical twins and mellizos are fraternal ones. In everyday speech many people use gemelos for both, and in Mexico people also say cuates for twins.
Regional differences and pet names
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mum (at home) | mamá, má, mami, mi jefa | mamá, mami | mamá, mami, mamita, mi cucha | mamá, mami, la vieja |
| Dad (at home) | papá, pá, papi, mi jefe | papá, papi | papá, papi, papito, mi cucho | papá, papi, el viejo |
| My parents | mis papás or mis jefes | mis padres | mis papás or mis cuchos | mis viejos |
| Grandma | abuelita, abue | abuela, yaya, abuelita | abuelita, abue | abuela, nona, abue |
| Grandpa | abuelito, abue | abuelo, yayo | abuelito | abuelo, nono |
| Kid | chamaco, niño | crío, niño | pelado, niño | pibe, nene |
| Son, dear | mijo, mija | hijo, cariño | mijo, mija | hijo, nene |
Mis papás, “my dads”, means my parents in Mexico and Colombia. In Spain you say mis padres.
El viejo and la vieja in Argentina are warm words for your father and mother, and mis viejos is how most Argentines say “my parents”. Saying mi vieja about your mother to a friend is affectionate. Saying vieja to a woman you do not know is an insult.
Mi jefa and mi jefe, “my boss”, are Mexican slang for mum and dad, used with a smile.
Adults in Colombia and Mexico call their parents mami and papi too. You will hear a grown man on the phone saying sí, mami.
Cucho and cucha in Colombia mean old man and old woman, and mi cucha is my mum. It is informal and loving between family, and rude to a stranger.
Yayo and yaya are grandparents in parts of Spain, especially in the north-east. Nono and nona in Argentina come from Italian, brought by the immigrants who arrived in large numbers from the late nineteenth century.
Mijo and mija, from mi hijo and mi hija, are also used to non-relatives by older people in Mexico and Colombia.
Tú, usted and vos at home
In Spain and Argentina children talk to their parents with tú or vos. In Colombia many people still use usted with their parents and grandparents, and it sounds respectful and warm. In Mexico most families use tú, and some older families use usted with grandparents.
Two surnames
In Mexico, Colombia and Spain people have two surnames, usually the father’s first and the mother’s second. Gabriel García Márquez is García on his father’s side and Márquez on his mother’s. Women keep their own surnames when they marry. In Argentina most people use only the father’s surname day to day.
The words in real sentences
- Tengo dos hermanos y una hermana. I have two brothers and a sister.
- ¿Tienes hijos? Sí, un niño y una niña. Do you have children? Yes, a boy and a girl.
- Mis padres viven en Sevilla. My parents live in Seville. (Spain)
- Este fin de semana voy a ver a mis viejos. This weekend I’m going to see my parents. (Argentina)
- Mi suegra cocina mejor que yo. My mother-in-law cooks better than I do.
- Es mi medio hermano, tenemos el mismo padre. He’s my half-brother, we have the same father.
- Mi jefa no me deja salir hoy. My mum won’t let me go out today. (Mexico)
- Soy hija única. I’m an only child.
- Mi primo se casa con una colombiana en diciembre. My cousin is marrying a Colombian woman in December.
- Ella es la pareja de mi padre. She’s my father’s partner.
Questions people ask
How do you say “parents” in Spanish? Los padres, or los papás in Latin America. Los parientes means relatives.
What is the Spanish for in-laws? Los suegros are your parents-in-law. For the whole family, say la familia política or la familia de mi esposa.
Why does “hermanos” mean brothers and sisters? In Spanish you use the masculine plural for any group with at least one man in it. Hermanos can be brothers only or brothers and sisters, and you tell which from the context.
What does “mi viejo” mean in Argentina? My dad. Mi vieja is my mum and mis viejos my parents. It is affectionate.
What does “mija” mean? A contraction of mi hija, my daughter. In Mexico and Colombia older people also use it to any young woman, in the way English says “love” or “dear”.
How do you say stepmother in Spanish? La madrastra. Because it is also the fairy-tale word, many people say la pareja de mi padre or la esposa de mi papá instead.
What is a compadre? The godfather of your child, or the father of your godchild. In Mexico the word also means a close friend.
Practise these words
padre, madre, hijo, hermano, abuelo, nieto, tío, primo, sobrino, esposo, pareja, cuñado, familia. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.