Talk about your family – leisure activities
In english, to describe a family we begin from ourself. Then our parents, siblings and add some information about them.
Immediate family
- These are your closest relatives
Extended family
- It refers to your entire family
Nuclear family
- It is another term for your immediate family, including just the parents and the children
Immediate family
Your immediate family consists of your parents, your siblings, and your grandparents.
- Mother – your female parent
- Father – your male parent
- Brother – a boy who has the same parents as you
- Sister – a girl who has the same parents as you
- Twin – sibling born at the same time as you
- Grandfather – your mother or father’s father
- Grandmother – your mother or father’s mother
“I have a big immediate family, with 6 sisters and 4 brothers all living in the same house!
Extended family
Your extended family consists of anyone else you might be related to, no matter how distant your relation is.
- Aunt – your mother or father’s sister
- Uncle – your mother or father’s brother
- Cousin – the child of your aunt or uncle
- Nephew – the son of your brother or sister
- Niece – the daughter of your brother or sister
“My aunt and uncle live 20 minutes from my house. We have dinner with them every Sunday.”
Family by marriage
When you get married, you take on your spouse’s family. These people are known as your “in-laws.”
- Brother-in-law – a man who marries your sibling
- Sister-in-law – a woman who marries your sibling
- Father-in-law – the father of your spouse
- Mother-in-law – the mother of your spouse
“I get along very well with my mother-in-law! She even taught me how to cook an old family recipe.”
DESCRIBING YOUR FAMILY
Family is a common topic in every day conversation, so how can you explain to your new friends a bit more about where you come from?
Take after
To take after someone means to have a similar personality trait or physical appearance.
- I take after my mother. We have the exact same nose.
- He is a really good singer. He takes after his father in that way.
Brought up
To bring up, or be brought up, means to be taught or raised.
- Guillaume was brought up with good morals.
- My grandmother brought me up well.
- I was brought up in Italy.
Runs in the family
This refers to a specific characteristic or trait that appears in many family members.
- Red hair runs in the family.
- I wasn’t surprised about how much he ate. A large appetite runs in the family.