Family and Relationships
This topic covers family members, descriptions, relationships, and how people get along — tested across all four papers.
Key Vocabulary — Family Members
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|
| el padre / la madre | father / mother | el marido / la mujer | husband / wife |
| el hermano / la hermana | brother / sister | el hijo / la hija | son / daughter |
| el abuelo / la abuela | grandfather / grandmother | el tío / la tía | uncle / aunt |
| el primo / la prima | cousin (m/f) | el sobrino / la sobrina | nephew / niece |
| el padrastro / la madrastra | stepfather / stepmother | el hermanastro / la hermanastra | stepbrother / stepsister |
| el suegro / la suegra | father-in-law / mother-in-law | los nietos | grandchildren |
| la pareja | partner / couple | el/la gemelo/a | twin |
Describing People — Physical
| Spanish | English |
|---|
| alto/a / bajo/a | tall / short |
| delgado/a / gordo/a | slim / fat |
| el pelo rubio/moreno/negro/pelirrojo | blonde/brown/black/ginger hair |
| el pelo largo/corto/rizado/liso | long/short/curly/straight hair |
| los ojos azules/verdes/marrones | blue/green/brown eyes |
| lleva gafas | wears glasses |
| tiene barba / bigote | has a beard / moustache |
| guapo/a / atractivo/a | good-looking / attractive |
- Mi madre es bastante alta con el pelo castaño y los ojos verdes. — My mother is quite tall with brown hair and green eyes.
Describing People — Personality
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|
| simpático/a / amable | nice / kind | antipático/a | unfriendly |
| gracioso/a / divertido/a | funny | aburrido/a | boring |
| hablador(a) | chatty | tímido/a | shy |
| generoso/a | generous | egoísta | selfish |
| perezoso/a / vago/a | lazy | trabajador(a) | hardworking |
| fiel / leal | faithful / loyal | celoso/a | jealous |
| comprensivo/a | understanding | terco/a / cabezota | stubborn |
| cariñoso/a | affectionate | maduro/a | mature |
Relationships
| Spanish | English |
|---|
| llevarse bien/mal con | to get on well/badly with |
| discutir / pelearse con | to argue / fight with |
| enfadarse con | to get angry with |
| burlarse de | to make fun of |
| confiar en | to trust |
| contar con | to count on |
| el matrimonio / casarse | marriage / to get married |
| el divorcio / divorciarse | divorce / to get divorced |
| separarse | to separate |
| estar soltero/a | to be single |
| una familia monoparental | a single-parent family |
| una familia numerosa | a large family |
Useful Sentences
- Me llevo muy bien con mi hermana porque siempre me apoya. — I get on very well with my sister because she always supports me.
- A veces me peleo con mi hermano porque es muy pesado. — Sometimes I fight with my brother because he is really annoying.
- Lo más importante en una relación es la confianza y el respeto. — The most important thing in a relationship is trust and respect.
- Mis padres se divorciaron cuando yo tenía ocho años, así que vivo con mi madre. — My parents divorced when I was eight, so I live with my mother.
- En el futuro, me gustaría casarme y tener hijos. — In the future, I would like to get married and have children.
- Si pudiera cambiar algo, me gustaría tener un hermano mayor. — If I could change something, I would like to have an older brother.
Exam Tips
- In photo card tasks, you often describe people and infer relationships — practise physical descriptions.
- In writing, include positive AND negative views for balance and range.
- Llevarse bien/mal is a reflexive verb — don't forget the pronoun (me llevo, se lleva).
- Cultural point: Hispanic families often have close extended family ties — mention la familia as a value in speaking.