Family members in English and introducing your family

Family words are among the most used words after introducing yourself. Some English family words are more general than Turkish ones, and knowing this prevents the most common mistakes.

Close family

mother / mum, father / dad, parents, brother, sister, son, daughter, husband, wife, baby.

Extended family

grandmother / grandma, grandfather / grandpa, uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece.

Where English differs from Turkish

English doesn't separate the mother's and father's side: Turkish “amca” and “dayı” are both “uncle”, “hala” and “teyze” are both “aunt”. To tell an older brother from a younger one, say “older brother” and “younger brother”.

Introducing your family

“There are four people in my family: my mum, my dad, my younger sister, and me. My mum is a teacher and my dad is an engineer. My sister is eight. We have a dog called Zeytin.” Question patterns: “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”, “How many people are there in your family?”

To keep going, see My or mine? Possessive adjectives and pronouns in English and Jobs in English and saying what you do.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “abla” and “ağabey” in English? There is no single word; say “older sister” and “older brother”.

“Mum” or “mom”? British English uses “mum” and American English “mom”.