A family is a group of people who are related. Some family members live together. Some family members do not live together. In English, we use special words for each person in the family.

Immediate family means the closest family members. These are the people in your first family group. They often live in the same home or have a very close relationship.

Word or Phrase	Definition
mother	A mother is a female parent.
father	A father is a male parent.
parent	A parent is a mother or a father.
son	A son is a male child.
daughter	A daughter is a female child.
child	A child is a son or a daughter.
brother	A brother is a male sibling.
sister	A sister is a female sibling.
sibling	A sibling is a brother or a sister.

Extended family means family outside the first family group. These family members are connected through parents, children, brothers, sisters, or marriage. They are also important family words in English.

Word or Phrase	Definition
grandmother	A grandmother is the mother of your mother or father.
grandfather	A grandfather is the father of your mother or father.
grandparent	A grandparent is a grandmother or a grandfather.
grandson	A grandson is the son of your son or daughter.
granddaughter	A granddaughter is the daughter of your son or daughter.
grandchild	A grandchild is a grandson or a granddaughter.
aunt	An aunt is the sister of your mother or father.
uncle	An uncle is the brother of your mother or father.
cousin	A cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle.
niece	A niece is the daughter of your brother or sister.
nephew	A nephew is the son of your brother or sister.

Some words show the relationship between two people. These words help you say how one person is connected to another person. They are common in family talk.

Word or Phrase	Definition
husband	A husband is a married man.
wife	A wife is a married woman.
partner	A partner is a person in a close relationship.
married	Married describes two people who are husband and wife.
single	Single describes a person who is not married.
relative	A relative is a person in your family.

Some family members join a family through marriage. English often uses in-law for these relationships. These people are family because of marriage, not because of birth.

Word or Phrase	Definition
mother-in-law	A mother-in-law is the mother of your husband or wife.
father-in-law	A father-in-law is the father of your husband or wife.
brother-in-law	A brother-in-law is the brother of your husband or wife.
sister-in-law	A sister-in-law is the sister of your husband or wife.

Possessive forms show family relationships. We use possessive words before a family word, or we use a name with apostrophe s. This shows who the family member belongs to in the relationship.

You can now name close family members and extended family members in English. You can describe simple relationships with words like husband, wife, partner, and relative. You can also use possessive forms to say whose family member a person is.