How to Talk About Your Family in Italian

Summary

Dive into the heart of Italian culture with our guide on family terms! From close kin to in-laws, you’ll master the art of Italian family lingo and avoid common mix-ups like confusing “parents” with “relatives”. 🇮🇹👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

  • Parents vs. Relatives: Don’t get tripped up! In Italian, i genitori means “parents,” while i parenti refers to the wider “relatives” clan. Context is key, so keep it straight to chat like a local. 🤔
  • Formal vs. Endearing: Addressing your folks? Il padre and la madre are formal, but you’ll sound more heartfelt with papà, mamma, or the Tuscan babbo. It’s all about that Italian warmth! ❤️
  • Spouse Speak: Talking about your better half? Il marito is your “husband” and la moglie is your “wife”. Flaunt your relationship status with these terms. 💍
  • Kids and Siblings: For your mini-mes, it’s il figlio for “son” and la figlia for “daughter”. No generic “sibling” word here – specify with il fratello for “brother” or la sorella for “sister”. 👶👦👧
  • Extended Family: Italians cherish their extended family. Learn i nonni for “grandparents” and il nipote/la nipote for both “grandchildren” and “nieces/nephews”. Context clues are your friends! 👵👴
  • In-Laws: In-law relations have unique names. Impress at family gatherings with il suocero for “father-in-law” and la suocera for “mother-in-law”. Don’t forget il cognato and la cognata for your sibling’s spouse! 🤵👰
  • Modern Family Dynamics: Stepfamilies are common, but tread lightly with terms like il patrigno or la matrigna as they carry a negative vibe. Opt for describing the relationship directly to keep things positive. 🆕👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
  • Family in Context: Famiglia isn’t just for people; it’s used for groups with common traits or in idioms about family life. Expand your Italian by using it in various contexts. 📚
  • Describing Your Family: Whether you’re from a modest or wealthy background, phrases like famiglia modesta or essere di buona famiglia will help you describe your roots with authenticity. 💬

My thoughts

Italian for family: close family members

In Italy, family is sacred: it is an essential aspect of the culture and every Italian’s life, so knowing all the terms to talk about your family is key if you want to sound like a native speaker.

Let’s start with those blessed creatures who put us into this world…

Parents in Italian

  • I genitori (the parents)

I miei genitori sono Canadesi, ma vivono in Inghilterra.

My parents are from Canada, but they live in England.

Careful here, as there is a word in Italian that is dangerously similar to “parents”: i parenti.

This, however, means “the relatives”, and not “the parents”!

  • i parenti (the relatives)

I tuoi parenti vivono in Italia?

Do your relatives live in Italy?

The parents are:

  • la madre / la mamma (mother / mom)

Mia madre sta avendo dei problemi con il lavoro.

My mother is having some problems at work.

  • il padre / il papà / il babbo (father / dad)

Il mio babbo fa il falegname.

My dad is a carpenter.

As you might have guessed, il padre and la madre are more formal, while mamma and papa (or babbo) is the endearing term most Italians use to refer to their parents.

Some other terms you want to learn are those that refer to spouses:

  • il marito: husband

Mio marito è Giapponese.

My husband is Japanese.

  • la moglie: wife

Mia moglie è un’atleta olimpica.

My wife is an Olympic athlete.

The offspring

  • il figlioson
  • la figlia: daughter

If you want to talk about multiple children, you can say i figli if they are only boys or mixed, and le figlie if they are only girls.

Giovanni ha tre figlie.

Giovanni has three daughters.

As in English, if you are talking about young children, you can use the words bambino / bambina (child).

Then you want to be able to talk about your siblings… Careful though, there is no word for “sibling” in Italian, you will always have to specify the gender!

  • il fratello: brother

Quanti fratelli hai?

How many brothers do you have?

  • la sorella: sister

Mia sorella si chiama Giorgia.

My sister’s name is Giorgia.

La famiglia: extended family in Italian

Then, there is what we call “the extended family” in English, which in Italian is still la famiglia, and it can actually be as close as your closer family members!

The older generation

  • i nonni: grandparents

I miei nonni vivono a Napoli.

My grandparents live in Naples.

  • il nonno: grandfather

Tuo nonno è Italiano?

Is your grandfather Italian?

  • la nonna: grandmother

Mia nonna cucina benissimo!

My grandma cooks so well!

  • i bisnonni: great grandparents

I tuoi bisnonni sono ancora vivi?

Are your great-grandparents still alive?

  • il bisnonno: great grandfather

Il mio bisnonno ha appena compiuto novant’anni.

My great grandfather just turned 90.

  • la bisnonna: great grandmother

La mia bisnonna si chiama Adele.

My great-grandmother’s name is Adele.

The younger generation

  • i nipoti: grandchildren

Luca ha già due nipoti!

Luca already has two grandchildren!

  • il nipote: grandson
  • la nipote: granddaughter

Mia nipote ha iniziato la scuola oggi.

My granddaughter started school today.

  • pronipote: great-grandson/ great-granddaughter

And here are other very important family members, which in Italian families are usually considered part of the closest famiglia:

  • la zia / le ziethe aunt
  • lo zio /gli zii: the uncle
  • il cugino: cousin (male)

Giuseppe è tuo cugino? Non lo sapevo!

Is Giuseppe your cousin? I did not know!

  • la cugina: cousin (female)
  • il nipote: nephew

Mia sorella e mio nipote vengono a cena stasera.

My sister and my nephew will come for dinner tonight.

  • la nipote: niece

YouTube video player

Have you noticed? The Italian word for grandson/daughter and nephew and niece is the same: il nipote / la nipote.

During a conversation, you will have to understand which one people mean by the context!

If your 30-year-old Italian friend is talking about sua nipote, for example, he probably means his sister’s daughter, and not his own granddaughter!

La famiglia: the in-laws in Italian

Of course, no family is complete without the in-laws. And, in Italian, things get a little more interesting here than they are in English!

Nothing to worry about though, just some more terms to memorize, and these will actually make you sound like you know what you’re doing with your language skills.

  • il suocero: father-in-law
  • la suocera: mother-in-law
  • i suoceri: parents-in-law

Domani andiamo a pranzo dai miei suoceri.

Tomorrow we’ll have lunch with my parents-in-law.

  • il genero: son-in-law

Il marito di mia figlia è mio genero.

My daughter’s husband is my son-in-law.

  • la nuora: daughter-in-law

La moglie di mio figlio è mia nuora.

My son’s wife is my daughter-in-law.

  • il cognato: brother-in-law

Mio cognato è il marito di mia sorella.

My brother-in-law is my sister’s husband.

  • la cognata: sister-in-law

Mia cognata è la moglie di mio fratello.

My sister-in-law is my brother’s wife.

La famiglia: modern families in Italian

In modern families, it is not at all uncommon for people to separate, remarry and start a family with another partner, who might already have children themselves.

In Italian, we have words for these relations, although they have a somewhat negative sense.

As you can see, they all have pejorative suffixes in Italian.

These words are not commonly used anymore, as they are considered derogative by some, but it is good to know them!

  • il patrigno: stepfather
  • la matrigna: stepmother
  • il figliastro: stepson
  • la figliastra: stepdaughter
  • il fratellastro: stepbrother
  • la sorellastra: stepsister

Instead of these terms, people now prefer to describe the relationship they have with the person.

For example, il patrigno can be il marito di mia madre, a figliastro can be il figlio di mio marito, etc.

There is also a new word proposed a few years ago to describe a stepchild: configlio.

My family in Italian

A mafia clan can be referred to as a famiglia, and it can also be used to categorize things that share common characteristics:

Famiglia di vocaboli.

Word family.

Famiglia di vettori (matematica).

Vector family (mathematics).

Famiglia di mammiferi carnivori.

Carnivorous mammal family.

Famiglia can be used in idioms to express the formation of a family, implying the marriage or birth of a child:

La mia famiglia si allarga.

My family is getting bigger (a baby is coming).

Mettere su famiglia.

To get married, to start a family.

You can use the term famiglia to indicate that you’re doing something with other family members:

Fare le cose in famiglia.

To do things together.

I panni sporchi si lavano in famiglia.

Family matters should be kept within the family (don’t wash your dirty linen in public).

Avere una famiglia alle spalle.

To have a family that supports you (spalle means shoulders).

You can say famiglia modesta or famigliola if you come from a modest family, however, the latter has a more negative connotation.

If you come from a wealthy family, say essere di buona famiglia (to be of a good family) or venire da una buona famiglia (to come from a good family).

Family in the Italian Language

The noun famiglia can be used in conjunction with other words to describe various types of families and other things:

  • famiglia reale = royal family;
  • capo famiglia = head of the household;
  • famiglia patriarcale = patriarchal family;
  • stato di famiglia = family status;
  • certificato di famiglia = family certificate;
Free Guide
How to Learn Languages Fast

Famiglia can become the adjective famigliare, even though the spelling familiare is more widespread.

It means “familiar,” although it can also refer to items intended for family use.

Sto cercando un’auto familiare.

I’m looking for a family car.

When used as a noun, familiare refers to a relative.

The action of familiarizing oneself with something, or two individuals coming to know one other, is described by the verb familiarizzare.

Ho cominciato a familiarizzare con i vicini di casa. Mi sembrano delle persone simpatiche.

I’ve started getting to know my new neighbors. They seem nice people.

Finally, there’s the word familiarità, which means “familiarity.” It refers to someone who has trust in or knowledge of another person or item.

Mia nonna ha una buona familiarità con il telefonino adesso.

My grandma has a good familiarity with the cellphone now.

Describing family in Italian

In Italian culture, as in many other cultures, the family is very important. The more you travel south, the more important family becomes.

With these Italian phrases and words in your vocabulary, you’ll be well-equipped to describe your family in Italian and much more.

If you want to know even more about family members in Italian check out “how to say family and family member names“.

Please let me know if you need any help in the comment section below.

Follow me to fluency​

Create a free lifetime account to get access to all the free courses and other resources.

Leave a Reply

Take a free lesson today!

Create a free lifetime account to get access to all the free lessons and other resources.

I’ll also deliver my free resources my best offers to your mailbox (opt out at any time).

Italy is a country full of surprises. From the astonishing architecture to Italian culture and modern facilities that complement the historic views of one of the most beautiful places of...
In this article, we’ll provide you with some essential Italian phrases and expressions to help you confidently navigate weather-related conversations. How to talk about the weather in Italian The weather...
100+ Italian phrases for beginners to survive your trip to Italy! Start speaking for real with useful basic common sentences for your first conversation.
Discover the power of Italian phrases for expressing concern and empowering your ability to connect on a deeper level with others. Mastering Italian Phrases for Expressing Concern If you’ve ever...
Try my courses for free​
Stefano

Log in

Reset password or get in touch.

Not a member yet? Join today!

How long to fluency?

Find out how long it will take you to master Italian!
Get on the right track in 3 minutes.

dolce vita logo

We're already friends!

Coming from Luca and Marina?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
all language resources

We're already friends!

Coming from All Language Resources?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
GRAB A COUPON NOW, REDEEM IT LATER
50% OFF

To receive free resources once a week together with my best offers, just tell me where to send everything. Opt out at any time.

Create a free lifetime account to get access to all the free lesson and other resources.