40 Useful Family Vocabulary In German
Want to learn the family vocabulary in German and know how to call all your family members? We’re here to help you with that.
Family (die Familie) is essential, so whether you have a big or small family, the terms of the members are something you should be familiar with. Although it might be difficult to tell the difference between aunts, uncles and cousins, brothers-in-law, and all of the others sometimes, we want to address them correctly. So let’s take a look at the vocabulary of the family tree in the German language.
Family Members In German
| English |
German singular and plural
|
| family | die Familie, -n |
| marriage | die Ehe, -n |
| husband | der Ehemann, die Ehemänner |
| wife | die Ehefrau, die Ehefrauen |
| parents | die Eltern |
| grandparents | die Großeltern |
| mother | die Mutter, die Mütter |
| father | der Vater, die Väter |
| grandmother | die Großmutter/die Oma,-s |
| grandfather | der Großvater / der Opa,-s |
| child | das Kind, die Kinder |
| son | der Sohn, die Söhne |
| daughter | die Tochter, die Töchter |
| twin | der Zwilling, -e |
| sibling | die Geschwister |
| brother | der Bruder, die Brüder |
| sister | die Schwester, -n |
| grandchildren | die Enkelkinder |
| grandson | der Enkel |
| granddaughter | die Enkelin, -nen |
| aunt | die Tante-n |
| uncle | der Onkel |
| nephew | der Neffe, -n |
| niece | die Nichte, -n |
| male cousin | der Cousin, -s |
| female cousin | die Cousine, -n |
| male relative | der Verwandte, -n |
| female relative |
die Verwandte,-n
|
| fiancé | der Verlobte |
| boyfriend | der Freund |
| girlfriend | die Freundin |
| parents-in-law | die Schwiegereltern |
| father-in-law | der Schwiegervater, die Schwiegerväter |
| mother-in-law | die Schwiegermutter, die Schwiegermütter |
| son-in-law | der Schwiegersohn, die Schwiegersöhne |
| daughter in law | die Schwiegertochter, die Schwiegertöchter |
| brother-in-law | der Schwager, die Schwäger |
| sister in law | die Schwägerin, -nen |
| adopted child | Adoptiertes Kind |
| pet | Haustier, -e |
The Relationship Status
The distinct options that define a person’s relationship with a significant other are civil status and marital status. Civil statuses include married, single, divorced, and widowed. Here are the most common German words for the relationship status:
ledig – single, unmarried
verheiratet – married
verwitwet – widowed
geschieden – divorced
verlobt – engaged
in einer Beziehung – in a relationship
getrennt – separated
es ist kompliziert – it’s complicated
Let’s Talk About German Family Words
Imagine: you arrive at your freshly booked Airbnb in Berlin, and your host invites you to a welcome dinner. But oooh, you suddenly find yourself at the table together with their parents, cousin, grandmother, and some friends – and your host starts to introduce everyone, pointing to each person while stating their name. Some of these phrases might be useful to avoid an embarrassing moment:
Ich möchte dir meine Eltern vorstellen. Das sind mein Papa und meine Mutter. Und dort sitzt meine Nichte und meine Schwägerin. – I want to introduce you to my parents. This is my mum and dad. Over there, my nice and my sister-in-law are sitting.
Wer ist deine Mutter? – Who is your mother?
Das ist meine Mutter. – This is my mother.
Wie viele Geschwister hast du? – How many siblings do you have?
Ich habe zwei Geschwister, zusammen sind wir 3 Kinder. – I have two siblings, together we are three kids.
Hast du einen Bruder oder eine Schwester? – Do you have a brother or a sister?
Hast du Geschwister? – Do you have siblings?
Ja, ich habe zwei Brüder und eine Schwester. – Yes, I have two brothers and one sister.
Wie ist der Name deines Bruders? – What is the name of your brother?
Mein Bruder heißt Rolf. – My brother’s name is Rolf.
Bist du verheiratet? – Are you married?
Nein ich bin geschieden. – No I am divorced.
Ist sie deine Ex-(Ehe)frau? – Is she your ex-wife?
Nein, das ist meine Nichte Eva. – No, this is my niece Eva.
Habt ihr Haustiere? – Do you have pets?
Ja wir haben einen Hund und zwei Katzen. – Yes we have a dog and two cats.
Wie alt ist euer Baby? – How old is your baby?
Anton ist 5 Monate alt. – Anton is 5 months old.
Wir haben eine große Familie. – We have a big family.
Meine Großeltern sind schon alt. – My grandparents are old.
Morgen ist die Hochzeit meines Bruders. – Tomorrow is my brother’s wedding.
Du hast eine tolle Familie. – You have a great family.
Families in Germany are respectively smaller than those in the United States. One may argue that this is due to space differences, social ideals, or more complex aspects of German culture.
Whatever the reasons may be, Germans have a lot of respect when it comes to the distinctions between public and private lives, so you won’t see many Germans sharing the kinds of things that most Americans do on Facebook, for example. They are a bit more reserved about their relatives and the size of their family.
Fun Fact:
Did you know that in Germany, there is something called “Kindergeld” (child benefit)? It’s similar to child support in America, and it’s paid out on a monthly basis to the parents (especially single mothers and low-income families) until their child reaches a certain age.
Family Time!
Now that you know all the ways to address all the loved ones in your life in German – why not give your family a call? Or better yet, take them on a trip to Germany. They will surely be impressed if you can communicate like a German when you visit the country.
If you think that this is impossible, then you haven’t tried the Readle – learn German App yet. With only a few minutes of your time each day, you can improve your German skills pretty quickly. In the app, you can read interesting stories and listen to them recorded by native speakers. That will help boost language skills, and you will start speaking fluently in no time. Download the app today and learn German vocabulary in context.
