French Family Vocabulary

Learn the French family vocabulary and also some fun family French idioms. Do you know what “il ne faut pas pousser Mémé dans les orties” means? Find out!

Hi. My name is Helen and I’m a French immersion teacher with French Today in Lyon.

Recently, I wrote an article about my family vacation in Martinique (see picture above), and Camille asked me to illustrate it with the French vocabulary for the family. But I provided such a complete list that Camille said it was worth doing a whole article about it.

So here is the French vocabulary list for the family – if you think of more French family words, please add them in the Disqus comment section below in French and English, and Camille will add them to this list! Merci !

1 – French Family Vocabulary

1. la famille – family
2. la famille recomposée – stepfamily
3. la famille monoparentale – single-parent family
4. la famille homoparentale – homoparental family
5. les membres de la famille – family members
6. la famille élargie – extended family
7. la belle-famille – family-in-law
8. le mari – husband
9. la femme – wife
10. les parents – parents : like in English: Mom and Dad but also family members, kinfolks…
11. le père/ papa – father/ dad(dy)
12. la mère/ maman – mother/ mum(my)
13. les enfants – children
14. le fils – son
15. la fille – daughter
16. le frère – brother
17. la sœur – sister
18. l’aîné(-e) – the eldest
19. le cadet (m)/ la cadette (f) – the younger, youngest
20. le/la benjamin(-e) – the youngest
21. les jumeaux (m)/ les jumelles (f) – twins
22. les triplé(-e)s – triplets
23. le demi-frère – half-brother or stepbrother
24. la demi-soeur – half-sister or stepsister
25. le beau-père – father-in-law or stepfather
26. la belle-mère – mother-in-law or stepmother
27. le beau-fils – son-in-law or stepson
28. la belle-fille – daughter-in-law or stepdaughter
29. le beau-frère – brother-in-law
30. la belle-soeur– sister-in-law
31. les grands-parents – grandparents
32. le grand-père/ pépé/ papy – grandfather/ grandpa
33. la grand-mère/mémé/mamy – grandmother/ grandma
34. les petits-enfants – grandchildren
35. le petit-fils – grandson
36. la petite-fille – granddaughter
37. les arrière-grands-parents – great grandparents
38. l’arrière-grand-père – great grandfather
39. l’arrière-grand-mère – great grandmother
40. les arrière-petits-enfants – great grandchildren
41. l’arrière-petit-fils – great grandson
42. l’arrière-petite-fille – great granddaughter
43. l’oncle/ tonton – uncle
44. la tante/ tata – aunt/ auntie
45. le neveu – nephew
46. la nièce – niece
47. le cousin – cousin (m)
48. la cousine – cousin (f)
49. le cousin germain/ la cousine germaine – first cousin
50. le cousin issu de germain/ la cousine issue de germaine – second cousin
51. les proches – relatives

The French family vocabulary is listed with audio and illustrated within the story of Camille’s beginner level audiobook method.

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2 – French Family Idioms

1. laver son linge sale en famille – lit. to wash your dirty laundry in family : to settle conflicts in private
2. être prêt à vendre père et mère pour… quelque chose – lit. to be ready to sell mom and dad for… : to betray by interest
3. avoir un air de famille – to have some similarities
4. être le parent pauvre – lit. to be the poor parent : to be the forgotten one
5. une âme-soeur – a soul mate
6. Un peu, mon neveu! – colloquial. Lit. A bit my nephew! Meaning: of course! Needless to say!
7. Il ne faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties! – Lit. you shouldn’t push Grandma in the nettles: you must not exaggerate!
8. C’est de famille! – It runs in the family!
9. être de bonne famille – to be born into a well-educated family
10. une famille de mots – a word family