Family in German: Mother, Father, Brother, Sister
After this lesson you can introduce your family and say how people are related.
Family in German: Mother, Father, Brother, Sister
Family words are the first nouns worth owning, because you will be asked about your family in the first conversation you ever have. Each one comes with its article attached.
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Kulturnotiz
Der Mann and die Frau do double duty: they mean "man" and "woman", but also "husband" and "wife" — mein Mann, meine Frau. There is no everyday equivalent of "my spouse". Note also that Germans use Du with all family members without exception, however formal the setting; addressing a grandparent as Sie would be genuinely strange.
Common questions
+How do I know whether to use mein or meine?
Look at the noun's article. der and das words take mein with no ending; die words — feminine nouns and every plural — take meine. The article decides, not the meaning.
+Why does German have two words for cousin?
Because German marks gender on the noun itself. Der Cousin is male, die Cousine female, with the -e signalling the feminine. English lost this distinction; German keeps it.
+What is the difference between Oma and Großmutter?
Register only. Oma and Opa are the warm everyday words, used in families the way "grandma" and "grandpa" are. Großmutter and Großvater are formal, used in writing or when being precise.
+Is Geschwister singular or plural?
Plural only — it means "siblings" collectively. Ich habe zwei Geschwister. There is no common singular form; you name the brother or sister instead.