A1

Family and people

Talk about your family and use mi, tu and su

Goal: Name your family members and use possessive adjectives mi, tu and su to talk about people.

Context

Listen to the dialogue. Tap the speaker to hear each line.

Laura

¿Tienes hermanos?

Do you have siblings?

Pedro

Sí, tengo un hermano y una hermana.

Yes, I have a brother and a sister.

Laura

¿Cómo se llaman?

What are their names?

Pedro

Mi hermano se llama Juan y mi hermana se llama Ana.

My brother is called Juan and my sister is called Ana.

Laura

¿Y tus padres?

And your parents?

Pedro

Mi padre trabaja en una escuela y mi madre es doctora.

My father works at a school and my mother is a doctor.

Practice the dialogue

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Vocabulary

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la familia

Mi familia es grande.

'Familia' is a feminine noun that takes 'la'.

the family

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el hermano

Mi hermano se llama Juan.

Brothers and sisters together are 'hermanos' (masculine plural).

the brother

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la hermana

Tengo una hermana mayor.

the sister

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el padre

Mi padre es profesor.

'Los padres' means 'parents' (father and mother).

the father

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la madre

Mi madre es doctora.

the mother

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el hijo

Tengo un hijo pequeño.

'Hijos' can mean 'children' (sons and daughters).

the son

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la hija

Mi hija tiene cinco años.

the daughter

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el abuelo

Mi abuelo vive con nosotros.

the grandfather

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la abuela

Mi abuela cocina muy bien.

the grandmother

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los padres

¿Y tus padres? Están en casa.

the parents

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Grammar in 1 minute

Family words and gender

Family words come in pairs by gender: hermano/hermana (brother/sister), padre/madre (father/mother), hijo/hija (son/daughter). Change the ending to change the gender.

hermano → hermana, hijo → hija, abuelo → abuela.

The plural 'hermanos' can mean 'brothers' or 'siblings'. In context it usually means siblings.

Possessive adjectives mi, tu, su

'Mi' (my), 'tu' (your) and 'su' (his/her/their/your formal) come before a noun and match its gender. They do not change for gender, only for plural nouns (mis, tus, sus).

Mi hermano, mi hermana, tu padre, su madre. Mis hermanos, tus padres.

'Su' has many meanings (his/her/their/your-formal). Context tells you who it refers to.

The verb 'tener' with family

Use 'tener' (to have) to talk about your family: 'tengo' (I have), 'tienes' (you have). Ask '¿Tienes hermanos?' to ask about someone's siblings.

Tengo un hermano. No tengo hijos. ¿Tienes hermanas?

Answer with 'sí, tengo...' or 'no, no tengo...'. Notice the double 'no': 'no, no tengo'.

Interactive practice

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Who is Ana?

Listen and choose who Ana is.

listening
Tip: Listen for 'hermana' (sister) or 'hermano' (brother).

Who is Ana?

My father

Write the possessive adjective (my).

writing
Tip: 'Mi' = my (singular). Before 'padre' use 'mi': 'mi padre'.
padre trabaja en una escuela.

Accents optional: write "como estas" and it works.

Match family words

Connect each Spanish word with its English meaning.

reading
Tip: Gender pairs help: brother/sister, father/mother, son/daughter.

Write about your siblings

Write 'I have a brother and a sister' in Spanish.

writing
Tip: Use 'tengo' + 'un hermano y una hermana'. Don't forget the 'un/una'.

Write 'I have a brother and a sister' in Spanish.

Suggested answer: Tengo un hermano y una hermana

Repeat about your family

Listen, pause and repeat out loud, then say it about your own family.

speaking
Tip: Personalize it: change the names to your real family to make it stick.

Tengo un hermano y una hermana. Mi madre es doctora.

I have a brother and a sister. My mother is a doctor.

Listen, pause and repeat out loud. Repeat 3 times until it sounds natural.

Great. Repeat tomorrow to lock it in.

Pronunciation trainer

His sister

Write the possessive adjective (his).

writing
Tip: 'Su' = his/her/their. Before 'hermana' use 'su': 'su hermana'.
Pedro tiene una hermana. hermana se llama Ana.

Accents optional: write "como estas" and it works.

Final quiz

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