This is a list of 25 common words for talking about family in Portuguese, each with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. Play any word to hear it, check yourself in the quiz and download the list for Anki or Quizlet.
Family in Portuguese: a família, a mãe, o pai, os pais, o filho, a filha, a criança. The table below gives all 25 words with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. A quiz of 10 questions checks what you remember, and the list can be downloaded for a spreadsheet, Quizlet or Anki.
| Word | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a família /fɐmiljɐ/ | family | A minha família vive perto de Coimbra. My family lives near Coimbra. |
| a mãe /mɐ̃j/ | mother | A minha mãe cozinha muito bem aos domingos. My mother cooks very well on Sundays. |
| o pai /paɪ/ | father | O meu pai trabalha num hospital em Lisboa. My father works at a hospital in Lisbon. |
| os pais /paɪʃ/ | parent | Os pais acompanham os filhos à escola. The parents accompany their children to school. |
| o filho /fiʎʊ/ | son | O filho deles estuda música todas as tardes. Their son studies music every afternoon. |
| a filha /fiʎɐ/ | daughter | A filha dela lê antes de dormir. Her daughter reads before going to sleep. |
| a criança /kɹiɐ̃ŋsɐ/ | child | A criança brinca no jardim com os amigos. The child plays in the garden with friends. |
| o bebé /bɨbɛ/ In Brazil: o bebê. | baby | O bebé dorme no quarto dos pais. The baby sleeps in the parents' room. |
| o irmão /iɾəmɐ̃ʊ̃/ | brother | O meu irmão joga futebol aos sábados. My brother plays soccer on Saturdays. |
| a irmã /iɾəmɐ̃/ | sister | A minha irmã mora perto da universidade. My sister lives near the university. |
| o irmão /iɾəmɐ̃ʊ̃/ Portuguese uses the same word for a brother or sibling. | sibling | Os irmãos ajudam-se muito em casa. The siblings help each other a lot at home. |
| o gémeo /ʒɛmiʊ/ The feminine form is gémea. | twin | O meu gémeo nasceu cinco minutos depois. My twin was born five minutes later. |
| a avó /ɐvɔ/ | grandmother | A minha avó faz bolos deliciosos aos domingos. My grandmother makes delicious cakes on Sundays. |
| o avô /ɐvo/ | grandfather | O meu avô conta histórias depois do jantar. My grandfather tells stories after dinner. |
| os avós /ɐvɔʃ/ The plural means grandparents of either gender. | grandparent | Os avós visitam os netos todos os domingos. The grandparents visit their grandchildren every Sunday. |
| o neto /nɛtʊ/ | grandson | O neto visita a avó depois das aulas. The grandson visits his grandmother after school. |
| a neta /nɛtɐ/ | granddaughter | A neta telefona ao avô todas as semanas. The granddaughter calls her grandfather every week. |
| a tia /tiɐ/ | aunt | A minha tia vive numa aldeia pequena. My aunt lives in a small village. |
| o tio /tiʊ/ | uncle | O meu tio leva-nos à praia. My uncle takes us to the beach. |
| o primo /pɹimʊ/ The feminine form is prima. | cousin | O meu primo joga ténis aos sábados. My cousin plays tennis on Saturdays. |
| o sobrinho /subɹiɲʊ/ | nephew | O sobrinho deles nasceu no mês passado. Their nephew was born last month. |
| a sobrinha /subɹiɲɐ/ | niece | A sobrinha visita-nos durante as férias. The niece visits us during vacation. |
| o marido /mɐɾidʊ/ | husband | O marido dela trabalha numa escola. Her husband works at a school. |
| a mulher /muʎɛɹ/ | wife | A mulher dele prepara o jantar cedo. His wife prepares dinner early. |
| o familiar /fɐmiliaɹ/ The feminine form is familiar. | relative | Um familiar veio visitar-nos ontem à tarde. A relative came to visit us yesterday afternoon. |
The list on this page has 25 words. The first ones are a família (family), a mãe (mother), o pai (father). Each comes with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence.
Take the quiz on this page, then download the list for Anki or Quizlet and review a few words every day. In Lingo7 you can read books in Portuguese with a translation under every sentence and meet the same words in context.
Press the play button next to a word or an example sentence to hear it.