Spanish - Family Life

Lesson 53 of 159

Smiling family gathered at a table — Spanish lesson about family life and relationships.

Goal: Talk about where relatives live, ages, and relationships

Free Spanish lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome to Lesson 53 — family time! In this short lesson you'll hear useful Spanish phrases about relatives and practice saying them aloud. Have fun — think of a family member as you practice.

Level A2: In this lesson you'll learn and practice everyday phrases to talk about family: where relatives live, ages, how close you are, and how often you see them. These CEFR-aligned chunks help you describe personal family facts and ask about someone else's parents. We'll listen, practice short quizzes, and speak the phrases aloud.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Use simple frames to say where family members live and how old they are.
  • Describe relationships (close, get along, see often) and family status (divorced).
  • Practice asking about parents' jobs and naming in-laws.
Two friends talk about relatives and where family members live — practicing Spanish family phrases.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Mi ___ vive en ___.

My ___ lives in ___.

Meaning: My ___ lives in ___.

When to use: Use this frame to say where a family member or relative lives (city, country, another town).

Mi abuela vive en Madrid.
My grandmother lives in Madrid.
Mi hermano vive en otra ciudad.
My brother lives in another city.

Mi ___ tiene ___ años.

My ___ is ___ years old.

Meaning: My ___ is ___ years old.

When to use: Use this to give someone's age: Spanish uses 'tener' (to have) + años.

Tip: Remember to use 'tener' (tiene) for age, not 'ser' or 'estar'.

Mi primo tiene diez años.
My cousin is ten years old.
Mi madre tiene cuarenta y dos años.
My mother is forty-two years old.

Crecí con mi ___.

I grew up with my ___.

Meaning: I grew up with my ___.

When to use: Say this when talking about your upbringing and who raised or lived with you.

Crecí con mi hermana mayor.
I grew up with my older sister.
Crecí con mi abuela y mis tíos.
I grew up with my grandmother and my uncles.

Tengo una relación muy cercana con mi ___.

I am close to my ___.

Meaning: I’m close to my ___.

When to use: Use this neutral sentence to say you have a close relationship with a family member.

Tengo una relación muy cercana con mi madre.
I'm very close to my mother.
Tengo una relación muy cercana con mi hermano.
I'm very close to my brother.

Nos llevamos bien.

We get along well.

Meaning: We get along well.

When to use: Use this short phrase to describe a positive relationship with family members.

Mis hermanos y yo nos llevamos bien.
My siblings and I get along well.
Con mis padres nos llevamos bien.
I get along well with my parents.

No veo muy seguido a mi ___.

I don't see my ___ very often.

Meaning: I don’t see my ___ very often.

When to use: Say this when a relative lives far away or you rarely meet them.

Tip: Don’t confuse 'muy seguido' with always; here it commonly appears in negative sentences to mean 'not very often'.

No veo muy seguido a mi tío.
I don't see my uncle very often.
No veo muy seguido a mi prima que vive lejos.
I don't see my cousin very often who lives far away.

Mis papás están divorciados.

My parents are divorced.

Meaning: My parents are divorced.

When to use: Use this to state marital status of your parents; 'papás' is natural in speech.

Mis papás están divorciados desde hace años.
My parents have been divorced for years.
Mis papás están divorciados, pero son amigos.
My parents are divorced, but they are friends.

¿A qué se dedican tus papás?

What do your parents do?

Meaning: What do your parents do?

When to use: Ask this to find out someone’s parents' jobs or professions (informal 'tus').

¿A qué se dedican tus papás? El mío es profesor.
What do your parents do? Mine is a teacher.
¿A qué se dedican tus papás? Ellos trabajan en un hospital.
What do your parents do? They work at a hospital.

___ es mi cuñado.

___ is my brother-in-law.

Meaning: ___ is my brother-in-law.

When to use: Use this structure to name a sibling-in-law by saying their name + 'es mi cuñado/cuñada'.

Carlos es mi cuñado.
Carlos is my brother-in-law.
David es mi cuñado.
David is my brother-in-law.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

A short chat about relatives who live far away and parents' jobs.

Anna and David have a short conversation about grandparents, parents, and how often they see relatives.

Who says they don't see their grandfather often?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

Hola David, ¿tienes familia cerca?

Hi David, do you have family nearby?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

No mucho. Mi abuelo vive en Sevilla y no lo veo muy seguido.

Not much. My grandfather lives in Seville and I don't see him very often.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿Creciste con tu abuelo?

Did you grow up with your grandfather?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

No, crecí con mi madre. Nos llevamos bien.

No, I grew up with my mother. We get along well.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿A qué se dedican tus papás?

What do your parents do?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Mi padre es profesor y mi madre es enfermera. Mis papás están divorciados.

My father is a teacher and my mother is a nurse. My parents are divorced.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which Spanish sentence means "We get along well."?

How do you say "My parents are divorced." in Spanish?

Which question asks about someone's parents' jobs?

Which sentence means 'I grew up with my sister'?

My grandfather lives in Seville.

Mi abuelo ___ en Sevilla.

My nephew is eight years old.

Mi sobrino ___ 8 años.

I don't see my uncle very often who lives in another city.

No veo muy seguido a mi ___ que vive en otra ciudad.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Mi ___ vive en ___.

My ___ lives in ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Mi ___ tiene ___ años.

My ___ is ___ years old.

Say this phrase out loud:

Crecí con mi ___.

I grew up with my ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Tengo una relación muy cercana con mi ___.

I'm close to my ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Nos llevamos bien.

We get along well.

Say this phrase out loud:

No veo muy seguido a mi ___.

I don't see my ___ very often.

Say this phrase out loud:

Mis papás están divorciados.

My parents are divorced.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿A qué se dedican tus papás?

What do your parents do?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ es mi cuñado.

___ is my brother-in-law.