01 · The conversation opener
¿Tienes hermanos?
Do you have siblings?
The question that starts every family conversation — and it's the same question you'll get asked right back.
andbefluent.com/spanish/family-tree
Family Tree
Name your parents, siblings, grandparents and in-laws — and answer questions about them out loud.
In family vocabulary, gender does the work: el hermano / la hermana, el tío / la tía — and the masculine plural covers mixed groups, so los hermanos means siblings, not just brothers, and los padres means parents. Real families rarely stick to the formal words: across Latin America mi vieja and mi viejo are tender ways to say mom and dad, and abue is the universal soft form for a grandparent. Keep descriptions simple — one detail per person, an age or a role. And these words don't stick from flashcards; they stick the first time you talk someone through your own family tree out loud.
Below: the family words lesson by lesson, what mom, dad and grandma are actually called in Mexico versus Argentina, the gender slips to avoid — and a way to rehearse describing your own family in a real conversation.
The warm-up pack
The words for showing someone your actual family — nicknames included, no diagram required.
01 · The conversation opener
¿Tienes hermanos?
Do you have siblings?
The question that starts every family conversation — and it's the same question you'll get asked right back.
02 · Introducing your parents (Mexico)
Mi jefa. Mi jefe.
My mom. My dad. (Mexico, affectionate slang among friends)
Not disrespectful at all — this is how people actually talk about their parents, not just the textbook la madre / el padre.
03 · Softer, everywhere
Mi vieja. Mi viejo.
My mom. My dad. (tender across Latin America)
It sounds like it should be rude and isn't — this is a warm way to talk about your parents almost anywhere Spanish is spoken.
04 · The universal grandparent word
Abue.
Grandma. Grandpa.
Works for either grandparent, in any country. One easy word, and you sound like family already.
05 · Argentina's grandparents
La nona. El nono.
Grandma. Grandpa. (Argentina and Uruguay, Italian heritage)
Say this instead of abuela/abuelo in Argentina and you'll get a smile of recognition.
06 · Sorting siblings by age
El hermano mayor. La hermana menor.
The older brother. The younger sister.
Mayor and menor just tack onto the noun — swap them and you've covered every sibling in the family.
07 · What close friends call each other (Mexico)
Mi carnal. Mi carnala.
My brother. My sister. (Mexico, also used for close friends)
Family words drift onto friends all the time in Spanish — this one means you're basically family, blood or not.
08 · The cousin who's basically family
Primo hermano. Prima hermana.
First cousin (m). First cousin (f).
Spanish distinguishes your closest cousins from the more distant ones — this is how you say 'the real one.'
09 · Not blood, still family (Caribbean/Colombia)
Mi pana.
My brother / my close friend.
No blood relation needed — this is what you call someone who's earned family status.
10 · The in-law everyone jokes about
La suegra.
The mother-in-law.
She's the star of an entire genre of jokes across the Spanish-speaking world — you'll hear her mentioned before you even meet her.
11 · Talking about your grandkids with pride
Mis nietos.
My grandchildren.
Said the way you'd present a treasure, not just a fact — grandparents talk about mis nietos with real pride.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/family-treeRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| mom (affectionate) | mi jefa | mami |
| dad (affectionate) | mi jefe | papi |
| grandma | abuelita | la nona |
| grandpa | abuelito | el nono |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Olivia
Your vocabulary teacher for this pack
No flashcards, no matching pairs — in the Family Tree lessons you talk through your actual family with Olivia, as if you were showing her photos. She asks about los padres, whether you have el hermano mayor or la hermana menor, what los abuelos are like — and she asks back about hers, so you practise both sides: describing your people and asking politely about someone else's. One detail per person, out loud, until the words come without translating.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Family Tree is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Both — the masculine plural includes mixed-gender groups, so los hermanos means siblings unless context says otherwise. The same logic gives you los padres (parents), los abuelos (grandparents) and los primos (cousins).
Across Latin America, mi vieja / mi viejo sound tender, not disrespectful. In Mexico, mi jefa and mi jefe are the affectionate slang among friends, and in Argentina adults say mami and papi too — it's not just for kids.
La abuela and el abuelo — but the affectionate forms are what you'll hear: abue everywhere, abuelita / abuelito in Mexico, la nona / el nono in Argentina (Italian heritage), and tata or mamita in traditional Chilean families.
Los suegros are your parents-in-law, el cuñado / la cuñada your brother- and sister-in-law. In Mexico a beloved cuñada can even become mi cuñis — and la suegra is the star of an entire genre of jokes.
It's a contraction of mi hijo / mi hija (my son / my daughter). In Mexico and Central America it's used warmly with almost any younger person, not just your own children.