Family and the people in your life: Spoken English: Zero to Fluent (Beginner)

English	Hindi	English	Hindi
mother / mom	माँ	father / dad	पिता / पापा
brother	भाई	sister	बहन
husband	पति	wife	पत्नी
son	बेटा	daughter	बेटी
grandfather	दादा / नाना	grandmother	दादी / नानी
grandson	पोता / नाती	granddaughter	पोती / नातिन
uncle	चाचा, मामा, मौसा, फूफा	aunt	चाची, मामी, मौसी, बुआ
cousin	चचेरा/ममेरा भाई-बहन	nephew / niece	भतीजा, भांजा / भतीजी, भांजी
father-in-law	ससुर	mother-in-law	सास
brother-in-law	देवर, जेठ, साला, जीजा	sister-in-law	ननद, भाभी, साली

Hindi has a special word for almost every relative. English uses one word for many: "uncle" for chacha, mama, mausa and fufa. To be clear, add a little detail: "my father's younger brother" or "my mother's sister".

There are five people in my family.

Say it: thair aar FYV PEE-pul in my FAM-lee

मेरे परिवार में पाँच लोग हैं।

I live with my parents and my younger sister.

Say it: ai LIV with my PAIR-ents and my YUNG-er SIS-ter

मैं अपने माता-पिता और छोटी बहन के साथ रहता हूँ।

"Parents" = mother and father together. Use "younger/elder" for छोटा/बड़ा.

My elder brother is married.

Say it: my EL-der BRUH-ther iz MAR-eed

मेरे बड़े भाई की शादी हो चुकी है।

We live in a joint family.

Say it: wee LIV in a JOYNT FAM-lee

हम संयुक्त परिवार में रहते हैं।

A "nuclear family" is just parents and children.

I have one son and one daughter.

Say it: ai hav WUN SUN and WUN DAW-ter

मेरा एक बेटा और एक बेटी है।

She's my mother's sister, my aunt.

Say it: sheez my MUH-therz SIS-ter, my AANT

वह मेरी मौसी है।

Do you have any brothers or sisters?

Say it: doo yoo hav EN-ee BRUH-therz or SIS-terz?

क्या आपके कोई भाई-बहन हैं?

Formal word: "siblings" (भाई-बहन).

Think of it like this: English family words are like a big umbrella: one word, "uncle", covers many people that Hindi keeps under separate umbrellas. When you need to be exact, add a short description.

Careful: Do not say "cousin brother" or "cousin sister" with people abroad; just say "my cousin". In India, people understand both.

Careful: "Elder" is used before a family word ("my elder sister"). "Older" is also correct and more common outside India: "my older sister".

Tip: Draw your family tree on paper and say one sentence about each person: "This is my grandmother. She is seventy-two. She tells great stories."

Family and the people in your life

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