Family Members

These family members in German help you talk about your relatives with confidence.

Common Family Members

Start with the most common family members — these are the people you’re most likely to talk about in everyday conversation.

Singular Family Member Vocabulary

German Singular	English Singular
der Vater	father
die Mutter	mother
der Bruder	brother
die Schwester	sister
der Sohn	son
die Tochter	daughter
der Großvater / Opa	grandfather / grandpa
die Großmutter / Oma	grandmother / grandma
der Onkel	uncle
die Tante	aunt
der Cousin	cousin (male)
die Cousine	cousin (female)
das Kind	child

Singular Definite Articles

Article	Gender	Example	Meaning
der	masculine	der Vater	the father
die	feminine	die Mutter	the mother
das	neuter	das Kind	the child

German Plural Family Members

German Plural	English Plural
die Väter	fathers
die Mütter	mothers
die Brüder	brothers
die Schwestern	sisters
die Söhne	sons
die Töchter	daughters
die Großväter / Opas	grandfathers / grandpas
die Großmütter / Omas	grandmothers / grandmas
die Onkel	uncles
die Tanten	aunts
die Cousins	cousins (male or mixed)
die Cousinen	cousins (female)

Note: In German, plural nouns for family members usually take an -e, -er, or -n ending, and the article becomes die.*

brothers (plural); German example: ___ spielen zusammen.

Onkel

Brüder

Bruder

Söhne

Brüder

The German plural noun for "brothers" is "Brüder". The example means "Brothers play together."

Extended Family Members

These additional family members help you describe more complex family relationships.

Extended Family Vocabulary

German Singular	English Singular	German Plural	English Plural
der Urgroßvater	great-grandfather	die Urgroßväter	great-grandfathers
die Urgroßmutter	great-grandmother	die Urgroßmütter	great-grandmothers
der Schwiegervater	father-in-law	die Schwiegerväter	fathers-in-law
die Schwiegermutter	mother-in-law	die Schwiegermütter	mothers-in-law
der Schwager	brother-in-law	die Schwäger	brothers-in-law
die Schwägerin	sister-in-law	die Schwägerinnen	sisters-in-law
der Stiefvater	stepfather	die Stiefväter	stepfathers
die Stiefmutter	stepmother	die Stiefmütter	stepmothers
der Stiefbruder	stepbrother	die Stiefbrüder	stepbrothers
die Stiefschwester	stepsister	die Stiefschwestern	stepsisters
der Halbbruder	half-brother	die Halbbrüder	half-brothers
die Halbschwester	half-sister	die Halbschwestern	half-sisters

half-sister (singular); German example: Meine ___ und ich verstehen uns gut.

Tante

Halbschwester

Schwester

Cousine

Halbschwester

The German singular noun for "half-sister" is "Halbschwester". The example means "My half-sister and I get along well."

Describing Family Relationships

These words help you explain how people are related in German.

Relationship Vocabulary

German Word	English Meaning
die Familie	the family
die Verwandten	the relatives
der Angehörige	the (male) relative / member
die Angehörige	the (female) relative / member
verwandt sein mit	to be related to
verheiratet sein mit	to be married to
ledig sein	to be single
geschieden sein	to be divorced
verheiratet	married
die Ehe	the marriage

'to be related to'; German example: Ich bin mit ihr ___ .

geschieden sein

verwandt sein mit

verheiratet sein mit

ledig sein

verwandt sein mit

"verwandt sein mit" means "to be related to" in German. The example means "I am related to her."

Example Sentences

German Example	English Example
Ich habe zwei Schwestern.	I have two sisters.
Mein Vater ist verheiratet.	My father is married.
Sie ist mit meinem Onkel verwandt.	She is related to my uncle.

Bonus: Family-Related Verbs

These verbs are useful for talking about family life and relationships in German.

Family and Relationship Verbs

German Verb	English Meaning	Example (German)	Example (English)
sich kümmern um	to take care of	Ich kümmere mich um meine Großmutter.	I take care of my grandmother.
aufwachsen	to grow up	Ich bin in Berlin aufgewachsen.	I grew up in Berlin.
erziehen	to raise	Meine Eltern haben mich streng erzogen.	My parents raised me strictly.
heiraten	to marry	Sie hat letztes Jahr geheiratet.	She got married last year.

Now you have a solid foundation of German family vocabulary to help you talk about your relatives.

German