My Family
Le vocabulaire nouveau
Below are some vocabulary terms to help you refer to your family members and pets. Familiarize yourself with these terms and practice your pronunciation by repeating each term aloud after the speaker. Click each vocabulary term to hear the pronunciation.
| Family | |
| French | English |
| un enfant | child |
| un enfant unique | only child |
| une femme | wife; woman |
| un grand-parent | grandparent |
| un jumeau | male twin |
| une jumelle | female twin |
| un parent | parent; relative |
| un petit-enfant | grandchild |
| un beau-frère | brother-in-law |
| un beau-père | father-in-law; stepfather |
| un demi-frère | half-brother; stepbrother |
| un fils | son |
| un grand-père | grandfather |
| un mari | husband |
| un neveu | nephew |
| un oncle | uncle |
| un père | father |
| un petit-fils | grandson |
| un cousin | male cousin |
| une cousine | female cousin |
| une belle-mère | mother-in-law; stepmother |
| une belle-soeur | sister-in-law |
| une demi-soeur | half-sister; stepsister |
| une famille | family |
| une famille recomposée | blended family |
| une fille | daughter; girl |
| une grand-mère | grandmother |
| une mère | mother |
| une nièce | niece |
| une petite-fille | granddaughter |
| une tante | aunt |
| Pets | |
| French | English |
| un animal domestique | pet |
| un chat | cat |
| un chien | dog |
| un hamster | hamster |
| un oiseau | bird |
| un poisson rouge | goldfish |
| un serpent | snake |
French Adjectives
It is time to expand your French vocabulary even further. In this interactivity, you will be introduced to a collection of French adjectives. Drag and drop each word on to the target, to hear its pronunciation and see its masculine, feminine, and plural forms. Be sure to practice these words and learn their meanings, as they will be useful throughout the course. Click the player to begin.
View a printable version of the interactivity.
You will learn more about possessive adjectives in a later topic. For now, just remember that mon, ma, and mes all mean "my". Also, ton, ta, and tes all mean "your".
Another way to show possession in French is by using the preposition de which means "of". For example, the sentence "La mère de ma mère est ma grand-mère." is translated as "My mother’s mother is my grandmother."
Literally: "The mother of my mother is my grandmother."
| Verbs and Expressions | |
| French | English |
| à l’heure | on time |
| alors | so |
| au fait | by the way |
| comment | how; what |
| de taille moyenne | average height |
| en retard | late |
| est | is |
| être | to be |
| faire de la natation | to swim; to go swimming |
| faire des sports | to do sports |
| je suis | I am |
| quelle sorte | what kind |
Vocabulary Game
After practicing the vocabulary above, see how many of these new terms you recognize by playing this interactive game. You can use this non-graded interactivity to apply several of the terms you have just studied. Click the player to begin.
My Family and Yours
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how a discussion about families would sound in French. As you follow along with the conversation, try to determine what each person is saying. Then, replay the conversation while repeating the French aloud after the speaker in order to practice your pronunciation. Click the player to begin.
View a printable version of the interactivity.
My Family Review
Now that you have explored the different vocabulary used to discuss family, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player to get started.