German Immediate Family Vocabulary
This set covers the core people in a household: die Mutter, der Vater, and their die Kinder, plus die Geschwister like der Bruder and die Schwester. The trap for English speakers is die Eltern (parents) and die Geschwister (siblings): both are grammatically plural-only in German, so there's no way to say "a parent" or "a sibling" with these words the way English does.
Learn these 20 words
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All 20 words
plural: die Männer
man
Mein Mann arbeitet bei der Polizei. — My husband works for the police.
plural: die Mütter
mother
Frau Berghäuser ist die Mutter von Michaela. — Mrs. Berghäuser is Michaela's mother.
plural: die Schwestern
sister
Meine Schwester kommt am Dienstag. — My sister is coming on Tuesday.
plural: die Söhne
son
Das ist Hans, mein Sohn. — That is Hans, my son.
plural: die Töchter
daughter
Das ist meine Tochter Katharina. — That is my daughter Katharina.
plural: die Väter
father
Mein Vater ist Arbeiter. — My father is a worker.
plural: die Familien
family
Ich habe eine große Familie. — I have a large family.
plural: die Angehörigen
family member, relative
Der Arzt darf nur Familienangehörigen Auskunft geben. — The doctor may only give information to family members.
plural: die Brüder
brother
Mein jüngster Bruder geht noch zur Schule. — My youngest brother still goes to school.
parents
Ich wohne noch bei meinen Eltern. — I still live with my parents.
siblings
Die Geschwister sehen sich nur selten. — The siblings see each other only rarely.
plural: die Brüder
brother
Mein Bruder studiert an der Universität. — My brother is studying at the university.
plural: die Familien
family
Meine Familie lebt in Deutschland. — My family lives in Germany.
plural: die Gattinnen
wife / spouse / partner
Seine Gattin begleitete ihn zum Empfang. — His wife accompanied him to the reception.
plural: die Hausfrauen
housewife
Die Hausfrau bereitet das Mittagessen vor. — The housewife prepares lunch.
plural: die Mütter
mother
Meine Mutter backt leckere Kuchen. — My mother bakes delicious cakes.
plural: die Schwestern
sister
Meine Schwester ist Lehrerin. — My sister is a teacher.
plural: die Söhne
son
Mein Sohn geht zur Schule. — My son goes to school.
plural: die Töchter
daughter
Meine Tochter geht zur Schule. — My daughter goes to school.
plural: die Väter
father
Mein Vater arbeitet als Ingenieur. — My father works as an engineer.
How to learn this set
Almost every feminine noun here takes an umlaut in the plural: die Mutter becomes die Mütter, die Tochter becomes die Töchter. The masculine ones do the same: der Bruder becomes die Brüder, der Vater becomes die Väter. Drill these as pairs, singular next to plural, saying both out loud, so the umlaut shift becomes automatic instead of something you have to stop and think about. Der Sohn is the odd one out with a weak plural in -e (die Söhne) rather than a pure umlaut swap, so give that one extra repetition.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mutter masculine or feminine in German?
Mutter is feminine: die Mutter. It's an easy one to mix up because so many basic nouns for people default to der in learners' heads, but family words for female relatives (die Mutter, die Tochter, die Schwester) are consistently feminine.
What is the difference between Eltern and Geschwister?
Die Eltern means parents (mother and father together) and die Geschwister means siblings (brothers and sisters together). Both are plural-only nouns in German, so you can't say "ein Elter" for one parent or "ein Geschwister" for one sibling.
What does Gattin mean in German?
Die Gattin means wife or spouse, but it's formal and a bit old-fashioned or bureaucratic sounding. In everyday speech, Germans are more likely to say meine Frau than meine Gattin.
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