Spanish · People & Family

"Family" in Spanish: familia

la familia

Say it: fah-MEE-lee-ahfeminine · la familianoun/faˈmilja/

Family in Spanish is la familia. It is feminine: la familia, mi familia. Say en familia when you do something with relatives.

Introducing yourself

Mi familia vive en Guadalajara.
My family lives in Guadalajara.
Practice Spanish out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce familia

Say it

fah-MEE-lee-ah

/faˈmilja/

fah-MEE-lee-ah. Stress mee. In familia, ll often sounds like y.

"Family" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
la familiafamily

The household or relatives as a group.

mi / tu / su familiamy / your / his-her family

Possessives agree with feminine familia.

en familiawith family / as a family

Weekend en familia, comer en familia.

la familia políticain-laws

Your partner's relatives as a group.

familia numerosalarge family

Many children or a wide household.

How to use familia in real life

  1. 1Introducing yourself

    Mi familia vive en Guadalajara.

    My family lives in Guadalajara.

    Mi matches feminine familia.

  2. 2Weekend plans

    El domingo comemos en familia.

    On Sunday we eat as a family.

    En familia is a fixed everyday phrase.

  3. 3Photo chat

    Esta es toda mi familia.

    This is my whole family.

    Toda agrees with familia.

Mistakes English speakers make with familia

Incorrect: Mi familia es grande, ¿verdad vosotros?

Correct: Mi familia es grande, ¿verdad ustedes?

In Latin America use ustedes, not vosotros, with familia talk.

Incorrect: El familia es importante.

Correct: La familia es importante.

Familia is feminine. Use la familia, never el familia.

Good to know

Sunday meals en familia stay common across Latin America. Calling someone de la familia can mean they are treated like kin, not only blood relatives.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Showing holiday photos to a coworker

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Esa es tu familia en la playa?

    Is that your family on the beach?

  2. You

    Sí, toda mi familia fue a Cancún.

    Yes, my whole family went to Cancún.

  3. ChatPal

    Qué bonito. Se ven muy unidos.

    How nice. You look really close.

  4. You

    Nos vemos mucho en familia.

    We see each other a lot as a family.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Family" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Family" in Spanish

Is familia masculine or feminine?

Feminine: la familia, mi familia, una familia grande.

What does en familia mean?

With the family, or in a family way.

How do I say in-laws?

La familia política for the group.

Can familia mean more than parents?

Yes. It often includes siblings and wider relatives.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in Spanish. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.