Family and people
Words for your family and the people around you, how to talk about age and marriage, and the words that do not match Ukrainian or Russian.
When you need it
You need these words the moment you introduce yourself: who is in your family, who you live with, whether you have brothers or sisters, who is in a photo. They also appear on forms (marital status, next of kin) and in almost every first conversation with a new classmate or colleague. Most of them are short and regular, but a few do not match the Ukrainian and Russian system, and those are worth extra attention.
Core words
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mother | informal mum (British), mom (American) | My mother is a nurse. |
| father | informal dad | My father works at home. |
| parent | only your mother or your father | My parents live near the sea. |
| brother, sister | together: brothers and sisters | I have two brothers. |
| son, daughter | daughter is /ˈdɔːtə/, the gh is silent | They have a son and a daughter. |
| husband, wife | plural wives | Tom is Anna's husband. |
| child | irregular plural children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ | They have three children. |
| baby | a child under about two | The baby is asleep. |
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| grandmother, grandfather | informal grandma, grandpa, granny | My grandmother is eighty. |
| grandparent | usually plural: my grandparents | I visit my grandparents in summer. |
| aunt | /ɑːnt/ in British English, /ænt/ in American | My aunt is a teacher. |
| uncle | your parent's brother, or your aunt's husband | My uncle lives in the country. |
| cousin | /ˈkʌzn/; one word for a boy or a girl | Anna is my cousin. |
| nephew, niece | your brother's or sister's son and daughter | My niece is six. |
| relative | any member of your family | We have relatives abroad. |
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| man, woman | plurals men, women; women is /ˈwɪmɪn/ | Two women and a man came in. |
| friend | a close friend, a best friend | Tom is my best friend. |
| boyfriend, girlfriend | a romantic partner; a female friend is just a friend | My sister has a new boyfriend. |
| neighbour | American spelling neighbor | Our neighbours are very quiet. |
| married, single, divorced | adjectives, used with be | My brother is married. |
| age | at the age of ten, the same age | We are the same age. |
A few more patterns are useful. Grand- means two generations: grandson, granddaughter. Great- adds one more: great-grandmother. -in-law means through marriage: mother-in-law, brother-in-law. A step- relative joins the family through a new marriage: stepfather, stepsister.
The informal words matter as much as the formal ones. Adults in Britain still call their parents mum and dad, and mother and father can sound cold in conversation, though they are normal in writing. In the same way, kids is the everyday word for children, and brothers and sisters is far more common in speech than the formal siblings.
Useful phrases
- This is my brother, Tom. — Use this is to introduce someone who is with you.
- Have you got any brothers or sisters? — Yes, I've got one sister.
- I'm an only child. — I have no brothers or sisters.
- How old is she? — She's twelve.
- Are you married? — No, I'm single.
- She is married to a doctor. — The preposition is to.
- He looks like his father. — He has his father's face.
- We get on well. — We have a good, friendly relationship.
- Anna's parents, my brother's wife — the 's form shows who belongs to whom.
- I grew up in a big family. — I spent my childhood in it.
- There are four people in my family. — A simple way to start describing it.
Common mistakes
- ✗ All my parents came to the wedding: uncles, aunts and cousins.
✓ All my relatives came to the wedding: uncles, aunts and cousins.
Russian родители and родственники sound alike, and the confusion carries over: parents (батьки / родители) are only your mother and father, while the whole family is relatives (родичі / родственники). - ✗ My sister has fifteen years. My sister is fifteen years.
✓ My sister is fifteen. My sister is fifteen years old.
Ukrainian їй п'ятнадцять років and Russian ей пятнадцать лет have no verb that English can copy; English uses be, and years needs old after it or disappears. - ✗ She is married with a doctor.
✓ She is married to a doctor.
Ukrainian одружена з translates word for word as with, but English always says married to and marry someone, with no preposition at all. - ✗ This is my cousin brother. This is my cousin sister.
✓ This is my cousin.
Ukrainian двоюрідний брат and Russian двоюродный брат show the gender, but English cousin covers both; he or she in the next sentence gives the gender. - ✗ The brother of Anna is a doctor.
✓ Anna's brother is a doctor.
Ukrainian and Russian put the owner after the noun in the genitive (брат Анни / брат Анны), while English puts the person first with 's; see possessives.
Try it
- My mother's sister is my ___.
- My aunt's son is my ___.
- Tom is Anna's husband. Anna is Tom's ___.
- She is married ___ a teacher.
- They have three ___ (child).
- My brother ___ twenty. (be)