This guide covers the most common French words for family members, including both singular and plural forms.

French Family Members

Here are some of the most common family member terms in French, along with their English translations.

These are the most common family member terms in French.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Example in French	Example in English
le père	les pères	the father	the fathers	Mon père est médecin.	My father is a doctor.
la mère	les mères	the mother	the mothers	Ma mère est professeur.	My mother is a teacher.
le frère	les frères	the brother	the brothers	J’ai un frère aîné.	I have an older brother.
la sœur	les sœurs	the sister	the sisters	Ma sœur est plus jeune.	My sister is younger.
le fils	les fils	the son	the sons	Mon fils a dix ans.	My son is ten years old.
la fille	les filles	the daughter	the daughters	Ma fille aime lire.	My daughter likes to read.
le grand-père	les grands-pères	the grandfather	the grandfathers	Mon grand-père est retraité.	My grandfather is retired.
la grand-mère	les grands-mères	the grandmother	the grandmothers	Ma grand-mère fait du tricot.	My grandmother knits.
l’oncle	les oncles	the uncle	the uncles	Mon oncle habite Paris.	My uncle lives in Paris.
la tante	les tantes	the aunt	the aunts	Ma tante est cuisinière.	My aunt is a cook.

These are additional family member terms that are also commonly used.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Example in French	Example in English
le cousin	les cousins	the cousin (male)	the male cousins	Mon cousin habite Lyon.	My male cousin lives in Lyon.
la cousine	les cousines	the cousin (female)	the female cousins	Ma cousine est étudiante.	My female cousin is a student.
le beau-père	les beaux-pères	the stepfather / father-in-law	the stepfathers / fathers-in-law	Mon beau-père est gentil.	My stepfather is kind.
la belle-mère	les belles-mères	the stepmother / mother-in-law	the stepmothers / mothers-in-law	Ma belle-mère cuisine bien.	My mother-in-law cooks well.
le beau-frère	les beaux-frères	the brother-in-law / stepbrother	the brothers-in-law / stepbrothers	Mon beau-frère est musicien.	My brother-in-law is a musician.
la belle-sœur	les belles-sœurs	the sister-in-law / stepsister	the sisters-in-law / stepsisters	Ma belle-sœur est sportive.	My sister-in-law is athletic.

These are some additional terms related to family roles and relationships.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Example in French	Example in English
le parent	les parents	the parent	the parents	Mes parents sont en vacances.	My parents are on vacation.
l’enfant	les enfants	the child	the children	L’enfant joue dans le jardin.	The child is playing in the garden.
le bébé	les bébés	the baby	the babies	Le bébé dort.	The baby is sleeping.
le mari	les maris	the husband	the husbands	Son mari est avocat.	Her husband is a lawyer.
la femme	les femmes	the wife / woman	the wives / women	Sa femme est journaliste.	His wife is a journalist.

Summary

Family member nouns in French are gendered (masculine/feminine) and have distinct plural forms.
Many words use "le" for masculine singular, "la" for feminine singular, and "les" for plural.
Some family roles combine words with hyphens, e.g., grand-mère, beau-père.
Usage example: Ma sœur a deux enfants. (My sister has two children.)

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025