Extended Family vocabulary in French

Family is all of the people with whom we have family ties. To talk about your family in French, you have to know the corresponding vocabulary. We’ve already learnt about the immediate family in our previous article on family. In this article you will learn extended family vocabulary in English.

 1- l’arrière-grand-père

Meaning : the father of one’s grandmother or grandfather.

English : great-grandfather 

Example : Mon arrière-grand-père était agriculteur. ( My great-grandfather was a farmer.)

2- l’arrière-grand-mère

Meaning : the mother of one’s grandmother or grandfather.

English : great-grandmother

Example : Mon arrière-grand-mère était une femme exceptionnelle. (My great-grandmother was an exceptional woman.)

3- les petits-enfants

Meaning : a child of one’s son or daughter.

English : grandchildren

Example : Les petits enfants profitent des vacances chez leurs grands-parents. (The grandchildren enjoy the holidays with their grandparents.)

4- le petit-fils

Meaning : the son of one’s son or daughter.

English : The grandson

Example : Mon petit-fils me ressemble plus qu’à son père. (My grandson looks more like me than his father.)

5- la petite-fille

English : granddaughter 

Meaning : a daughter of one’s son or daughter

Example : Cette petite fille a hérité de la beauté de sa grand-mère. (This granddaughter inherited the beauty of her grandmother.)

6- Les beaux-parents  

English : parents-in-law

Meaning :  a parent of one’s husband or wife

Example : Ce sont mes beaux-parents qui ont organisé le mariage. ( It was my parent-in-law who organized the wedding.)

7- Le beau-père 

English : father-in-law, step-father

Meaning :  spouse’s father or a man who is the husband or partner of one’s mother after the divorce or separation of one’s parents or the death of one’s father.

Example : En hommage à mon beau-père, nous avons donné son nom à notre fils.  (As tribute to my stepfather, we gave our son his name.)

8- la belle-mère

English : mother-in-law, step-mother

Meaning : A spouse’s mother or a woman who is the wife or partner of one’s father after the divorce or separation of one’s parents or the death of one’s mother.

Example : Ma belle-mère nous traite avec beaucoup d’amour. (My step-mother treats us with a lot of love).

9- Le beau fils

English : son-in-law, step-son

Meaning : the husband of a person’s daughter or the son of one’s wife, or of one’s husband.

Example :  Ma fille et mon beau-fils se disputent souvent. (My daughter and my step-son often argue.)

10- La belle-fille

English : daughter-in-law, step-daughter

Meaning : the wife of a person’s daughter or the daughter of one’s wife, or of one’s husband.

Example : La vieille femme a harcelé sa belle-fille toute la journée. (The old woman nagged her daughter-in-law all day long.)

11- le demi-frère

English : half brother 

Meaning : a brother who is the son of only one of your parents

Example : J’aime passer du temps avec mon demi-frère quand il est à la maison.(I love spending time with my half brother whenever he is home.)

12- la demi-soeur

English : half sister

Meaning : a sister who is the daughter of only one of your parents

Example :Ma demi-sœur fait souvent les courses pour moi. (My half sister usually shops for me.)

Now that you have learnt the meanings of these words in French, be sure to use them while you want to talk about your extended family in French. You can also learn other languages by visiting our website. So why wait? Start learning the language of your choice now.