French relationships vocabulary covering family, friendships, romantic connections, and social roles.
This guide introduces essential French vocabulary for discussing relationships — from family roles and friendships to dating and social connections. Each section includes key words with example sentences to help you practice using them in context.
Family Roles
These are the basic family member terms in French, including singular and plural forms, as well as gender distinctions.
| French (Singular) | French (Plural) | English (Singular) | English (Plural) | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| père / pères | pères | father / fathers | fathers | Mon père est médecin. | My father is a doctor. |
| mère / mères | mères | mother / mothers | mothers | Ma mère aime cuisiner. | My mother loves to cook. |
| frère / frères | frères | brother / brothers | brothers | J’ai un frère aîné. | I have an older brother. |
| sœur / sœurs | sœurs | sister / sisters | sisters | Elle a deux sœurs. | She has two sisters. |
| grand-père / grands-pères | grands-pères | grandfather / grandfathers | grandfathers | Mon grand-père est sage. | My grandfather is wise. |
| grand-mère / grandes-mères | grandes-mères | grandmother / grandmothers | grandmothers | Ma grand-mère raconte des histoires. | My grandmother tells stories. |
| oncle / oncles | oncles | uncle / uncles | uncles | Mon oncle habite Paris. | My uncle lives in Paris. |
| tante / tantes | tantes | aunt / aunts | aunts | Ma tante est artiste. | My aunt is an artist. |
| cousin / cousins | cousins | cousin (m.) / cousins | cousins | Mon cousin joue au foot. | My cousin plays soccer. |
| cousine / cousines | cousines | cousin (f.) / cousins | cousins | Ma cousine chante bien. | My cousin sings well. |
Mon ___ est sage.
How do you say 'grandfather' in French?
grand-père
'Grand-père' means grandfather. 'Oncle' is uncle, 'père' is father, and 'cousin' is cousin.
Friendship
These words describe different types of friends and how to talk about friendships in French.
| French | English | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ami / amis | friend / friends | Mon ami vient ce soir. | My friend is coming tonight. |
| amie / amies | friend / friends (f.) | Mon amie est ingénieure. | My (female) friend is an engineer. |
| copain / copains | boyfriend / male friend | Mon copain est gentil. | My boyfriend is kind. |
| copine / copines | girlfriend / female friend | Ma copine est drôle. | My girlfriend is funny. |
| meilleur ami / meilleurs amis | best friend (m.) / best friends | Il est mon meilleur ami. | He is my best friend. |
| meilleure amie / meilleures amies | best friend (f.) / best friends | Elle est ma meilleure amie. | She is my best friend. |
| connaissance / connaissances | acquaintance / acquaintances | J’ai une nouvelle connaissance. | I have a new acquaintance. |
| camarade / camarades | classmate / companion | C’est ma camarade de classe. | She is my classmate. |
| groupe d’amis | group of friends | Nous sortons en groupe d’amis. | We’re going out with a group of friends. |
| se disputer | to argue | Nous nous sommes disputés hier. | We argued yesterday. |
Tengo una nueva ___.
What is the French term for 'acquaintance'?
connaissance
'Connaissance' means acquaintance. 'Ami' is friend, 'voisin' is neighbor, and 'collègue' is colleague.
Romantic Relationships
These terms cover stages of dating, marriage, and romantic partnerships.
| French | English | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| petit ami | boyfriend | J’ai un petit ami. | I have a boyfriend. |
| petite amie | girlfriend | Elle a une petite amie. | She has a girlfriend. |
| fiancé / fiancée | fiancé / fiancée | Ils sont fiancés. | They are engaged. |
| mari / époux | husband / spouse (m.) | Mon mari est gentil. | My husband is kind. |
| femme / épouse | wife / spouse (f.) | Ma femme est médecin. | My wife is a doctor. |
| amoureux / amoureuse | in love / lover | Je suis amoureux d’elle. | I am in love with her. |
| couple | couple | Ils forment un beau couple. | They make a beautiful couple. |
| rendez-vous | date / appointment | Nous avons un rendez-vous ce soir. | We have a date tonight. |
| se fiancer | to get engaged | Ils vont se fiancer bientôt. | They are going to get engaged soon. |
| se marier | to get married | Nous allons nous marier en juin. | We are going to get married in June. |
Social Roles & Terms
These words help describe more complex social roles and relationships beyond the immediate family or close friends.
| French | English | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| beau-père | stepfather / father-in-law | Mon beau-père est gentil. | My stepfather is kind. |
| belle-mère | stepmother / mother-in-law | Ma belle-mère cuisine bien. | My stepmother cooks well. |
| beau-frère | brother-in-law / stepbrother | Mon beau-frère est sportif. | My brother-in-law is athletic. |
| belle-sœur | sister-in-law / stepsister | Ma belle-sœur est musicienne. | My sister-in-law is a musician. |
| gendre | son-in-law | Mon gendre est avocat. | My son-in-law is a lawyer. |
| bru | daughter-in-law | Ma bru est enseignante. | My daughter-in-law is a teacher. |
| tuteur / tutrice | guardian | Le tuteur s’occupe des enfants. | The guardian takes care of the children. |
| voisin / voisine | neighbor | Ma voisine est sympathique. | My neighbor is nice. |
| collègue | colleague | Mon collègue est espagnol. | My colleague is Spanish. |
| ami d’enfance | childhood friend | Mon ami d’enfance habite Lyon. | My childhood friend lives in Lyon. |
Emotions & Descriptions
These adjectives and phrases are commonly used to describe people and feelings within relationships.
| French | English | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| gentil / gentille | kind | Elle est très gentille. | She is very kind. |
| aimant / aimante | loving | Mon père est aimant. | My father is loving. |
| fidèle | faithful | Ils sont fidèles l’un à l’autre. | They are faithful to each other. |
| jaloux / jalouse | jealous | Je suis un peu jaloux. | I’m a little jealous. |
| attentionné / attentionnée | caring | Il est toujours attentionné. | He is always caring. |
| sérieux / sérieuse | serious | Elle est sérieuse en amour. | She is serious about love. |
| drôle | funny | Mon copain est drôle. | My boyfriend is funny. |
| romantique | romantic | Il est très romantique. | He is very romantic. |
| confiant / confiante | confident | Je suis confiant en nous. | I am confident about us. |
| complice | close / trusting | Nous sommes très complices. | We are very close. |
Verbs for Relationships
These common verbs describe actions and interactions within all types of relationships.
| French | English | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| aimer | to love | J’aime ma famille. | I love my family. |
| rencontrer | to meet | J’ai rencontré mon ami hier. | I met my friend yesterday. |
| sortir avec | to date / go out with | Elle sort avec Paul. | She’s dating Paul. |
| tomber amoureux de | to fall in love with | Je suis tombé amoureux d’elle. | I fell in love with her. |
| se marier | to get married | Ils se sont mariés en été. | They got married in summer. |
| divorcer | to divorce | Ils ont divorcé l’année dernière. | They divorced last year. |
| se quitter | to break up | Nous nous sommes quittés lundi. | We broke up on Monday. |
| se réconcilier | to reconcile | Ils se sont réconciliés. | They made up. |
| faire confiance | to trust | Je lui fais confiance. | I trust him/her. |
| soutenir | to support | Ma mère me soutient toujours. | My mother always supports me. |
That completes our overview of essential French vocabulary for relationships, covering family, friends, romance, social roles, emotions, and key actions. Practice these terms in context to become comfortable talking about all kinds of personal connections in French.
Flashcards (1 of 60)
- English (Singular): father / fathers
- English (Plural): fathers
- English Example: My father is a doctor.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
