Fils and fille
These two look alike but sound very different. Fils sounds like « fiss ». Fille sounds like « fee-y ». Fille also means girl.
- C'est mon fils.This is my son.
- C'est ma fille.This is my daughter.
A1Unit 2 of the A1 course · « Moi et ma famille »
Family vocabulary in French
Talking about your family is one of the first real conversations in French. Here are the family words, why French uses avoir (to have) for age, and how mon, ma and mes change with the noun.
By the end of this unit you can: talk about your family, age and where you're from.
What this unit covers
- 1La famille: Name the people in your family.
- 2Avoir et l'âge: Say how old you are and what you have.
- 3D'où viens-tu ?: Say where you're from and where you live.
- 4Mon, ma, mes: Say my and your with the right form.
- 5La photo de famille: Describe a family photo to a friend.
Grammar and usage, explained
Avoir, the verb to have
Avoir is the second most useful verb in French. Like être, it's irregular. J'ai, tu as, il a, elle a.
- J'ai un chat.I have a cat.
- Tu as une sœur ?Do you have a sister?
- Elle a deux enfants.She has two children.
Watch out: age uses avoir
English says « I am 20 ». French says « I have 20 years ». Always add ans.
- J'ai dix-huit ans.I'm eighteen.
- Mon père a cinquante ans.My father is fifty.
He's French, she's French
Nationalities change with the person. Add an e for a woman, and the last consonant is now pronounced. Français ends silent, française ends with a z sound.
- Il est français.He is French.
- Elle est française.She is French.
- Je suis brésilienne.I am Brazilian (said by a woman).
My depends on the noun, not on you
Use mon before a masculine noun, ma before a feminine noun and mes before a plural. A man says ma mère; a woman says mon père.
- mon frèremy brother
- ma sœurmy sister
- mes parentsmy parents
Before a vowel, ma becomes mon
Ma amie is hard to say, so French uses mon even for a feminine word that starts with a vowel sound.
- mon amie Chloémy friend Chloé
Scene: a family photo
Your new classmate Hugo sees a photo on your phone and asks about it. Tell him who everyone is.
Vocabulary: 23 words and phrases
Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.
La famille
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| mère(feminine)Ma mère s'appelle Elena. (My mother is called Elena.) | mother | |
| père(masculine) | father | |
| frère(masculine) | brother | |
| sœur(feminine) | sisterThe œ is two letters joined. It sounds like the u in English « fur » (without the r), with rounded lips. | |
| fils(masculine) | sonSay « fiss ». The l is silent and the s is pronounced. | |
| fille(feminine) | daughter / girlSay « fee-y ». The double l sounds like a y. | |
| les parents | parentsAlso means relatives in general. | |
| enfant(masculine) | childUn enfant for a boy, une enfant for a girl. |
Avoir et l'âge
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| j'aiJ'ai deux frères. (I have two brothers.) | I have | |
| tu as | you have (informal) | |
| il a / elle a | he has / she has | |
| tu as quel âge ? | how old are you?Formal: Quel âge avez-vous ? | |
| j'ai vingt ans | I'm twentyFrench uses avoir for age: you HAVE twenty years. Never say « je suis vingt ». |
D'où viens-tu ?
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je viens de…Je viens de Rio. (I come from Rio.) | I come from…Before a vowel, de becomes d': je viens d'Abidjan. | |
| j'habite à…J'habite à Paris. (I live in Paris.) | I live in… (a city) | |
| français / française | French (m / f)As adjectives, nationalities take a small letter (il est français). The feminine adds an e, so you hear a z sound. | |
| anglais / anglaise | English (m / f) | |
| brésilien / brésilienne | Brazilian (m / f)The feminine adds ne, so you hear the n. | |
| tu habites où ? | where do you live? |
Mon, ma, mes
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| monmon père (my father) | my (masculine) | |
| mama sœur (my sister) | my (feminine) | |
| mesmes parents (my parents) | my (plural) | |
| ton / ta / tes | your (informal) |
Example sentences
- Voici ma sœur et mon frère.Here are my sister and my brother.
- J'ai vingt-cinq ans.I'm twenty-five.
- Je viens du Brésil et j'habite à Paris.I come from Brazil and I live in Paris.
- Ma mère et mon père habitent à Rio.My mother and my father live in Rio.
- Mon frère a vingt ans et il habite à Londres.My brother is twenty and he lives in London.
Practise it, don't just read it
This unit is part of French Ultimate's A1 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.
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