German A1 Lesson 4: Family Members – Vocabulary & How to Talk About Your Family

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German · Basics · Lesson 4

German Family Members: Vocabulary & How to Talk About Your Family

Deutsch lernen — Die Familie

Talking about family is one of the most common topics in everyday German conversation — whether you're introducing yourself to new friends or chatting with a host family. This lesson gives you the core vocabulary and simple sentence patterns to describe who's who in your family.

Family Vocabulary

German Word	Pronunciation	English Meaning
die Familie	dee fah-MEE-lee-eh	the family
der Vater	dair FAH-ter	the father
die Mutter	dee MOOT-ter	the mother
die Eltern	dee EL-tern	the parents
der Bruder	dair BROO-der	the brother
die Schwester	dee SHVES-ter	the sister
der Sohn	dair zohn	the son
die Tochter	dee TOKH-ter	the daughter
der Großvater	dair GROHS-fah-ter	the grandfather
die Großmutter	dee GROHS-moot-ter	the grandmother

Tip: every German noun has a gender — der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter). Learn each family word together with its article.

Talking About Your Family

Das ist mein Vater / meine Mutter. This is my father / my mother.

Ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester. I have a brother and a sister.

Wie viele Geschwister hast du? How many siblings do you have?

Example Conversation

Paul Hast du Geschwister? Do you have siblings?

Sofia Ja, ich habe eine Schwester. Und du? Yes, I have a sister. And you?

Paul Ich habe einen Bruder. Das ist meine ganze Familie. I have a brother. That's my whole family.

Practice Exercise

1. Das ist mein _______. (father)
   Show answer

   Vater
2. Die _______ von meinem Vater und meiner Mutter. (the parents)
   Show answer

   Eltern
3. Ich habe eine _______. (sister)
   Show answer

   Schwester
4. Wie viele _______ hast du? (siblings)
   Show answer

   Geschwister
5. Meine _______ ist die Mutter von meiner Mutter. (grandmother)
   Show answer

   Großmutter

Tip: Draw your own family tree and label each person in German — visual practice like this makes vocabulary stick much faster than lists alone.

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