👨‍👩‍👧 Family Culture

⏱ 14 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful everyday English vocabulary and expressions for talking about family, culture, family values, generations, gatherings, and cultural connections. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Basic Family & Culture Vocabulary

👨‍👩‍👧 Family
the people you are related to
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Familia
🇫🇷 French: Famille
🇩🇪 German: Familie
🇮🇹 Italian: Famiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Família
🌎 Culture
the ideas, arts, and customs of a group of people
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cultura
🇫🇷 French: Culture
🇩🇪 German: Kultur
🇮🇹 Italian: Cultura
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cultura
👵 Grandparents
your parents' parents
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Abuelos
🇫🇷 French: Grands-parents
🇩🇪 German: Großeltern
🇮🇹 Italian: Nonni
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Avós
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents
a mother and father
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Padres
🇫🇷 French: Parents
🇩🇪 German: Eltern
🇮🇹 Italian: Genitori
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pais
👦 Children
sons and daughters
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hijos / Hijas
🇫🇷 French: Enfants
🇩🇪 German: Kinder
🇮🇹 Italian: Figli / Figlie
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Filhos / Filhas
🏡 Home
the place where you live with your family
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hogar
🇫🇷 French: Maison / Foyer
🇩🇪 German: Zuhause / Heim
🇮🇹 Italian: Casa / Focolare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Lar / Casa

🟡 Family & Cultural Connections

👥 Generation
people born around the same time in a family
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Generación
🇫🇷 French: Génération
🇩🇪 German: Generation
🇮🇹 Italian: Generazione
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Geração
❤️ Values
ideas a family thinks are important
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Valores
🇫🇷 French: Valeurs
🇩🇪 German: Werte
🇮🇹 Italian: Valori
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Valores
🕯️ Tradition
a custom people keep year after year
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Tradición
🇫🇷 French: Tradition
🇩🇪 German: Tradition
🇮🇹 Italian: Tradizione
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tradição
🗣️ Language
the words people use to speak and write
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Idioma
🇫🇷 French: Langue
🇩🇪 German: Sprache
🇮🇹 Italian: Lingua
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Idioma / Língua
🍽️ Family meal
food shared together at home
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Comida familiar
🇫🇷 French: Repas de famille
🇩🇪 German: Familienessen
🇮🇹 Italian: Pasto in famiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Refeição em família
🎉 Family gathering
a time when relatives come together
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Reunión familiar
🇫🇷 French: Réunion de famille
🇩🇪 German: Familientreffen
🇮🇹 Italian: Riunione di famiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Reunião familiar

🤝 Family & Social Vocabulary

❤️ Respect
care and politeness toward someone
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Respeto
🇫🇷 French: Respect
🇩🇪 German: Respekt
🇮🇹 Italian: Rispetto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Respeito
👋 Greeting
words or actions used to say hello
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Saludo
🇫🇷 French: Salutation
🇩🇪 German: Begrüßung
🇮🇹 Italian: Saluto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Saudação
🤗 Hug
holding someone in your arms
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Abrazo
🇫🇷 French: Câlin / Embrassade
🇩🇪 German: Umarmung
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbraccio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Abraço
💋 Kiss
touching someone with your lips as a greeting or sign of love
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Beso
🇫🇷 French: Baiser / Bisou
🇩🇪 German: Kuss
🇮🇹 Italian: Bacio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Beijo
🗣️ Conversation
talking with someone
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Conversación
🇫🇷 French: Conversation
🇩🇪 German: Gespräch / Unterhaltung
🇮🇹 Italian: Conversazione
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Conversa
🙏 Respect for elders
showing care toward older people
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Respeto a los mayores
🇫🇷 French: Respect pour les aînés
🇩🇪 German: Respekt vor den Älteren
🇮🇹 Italian: Rispetto per gli anziani
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Respeito pelos mais velhos

💬 Common Family & Culture Phrases

👨‍👩‍👧 My family is very important to me.
the people I am related to mean a lot to me
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi familia es muy importante para mí.
🇫🇷 French: Ma famille est très importante pour moi.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Familie ist mir sehr wichtig.
🇮🇹 Italian: La mia famiglia è molto importante per me.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A minha família é muito importante para mim.
🍽️ We eat dinner together every Sunday.
the family shares the evening meal each Sunday
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cenamos juntos todos los domingos.
🇫🇷 French: Nous dînons ensemble tous les dimanches.
🇩🇪 German: Wir essen jeden Sonntag zusammen zu Abend.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ceniamo insieme ogni domenica.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jantamos juntos todos os domingos.
👵 My grandparents tell us stories about their youth.
they talk about when they were young
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mis abuelos nos cuentan historias de su juventud.
🇫🇷 French: Mes grands-parents nous racontent des histoires de leur jeunesse.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Großeltern erzählen uns Geschichten aus ihrer Jugend.
🇮🇹 Italian: I miei nonni ci raccontano storie della loro giovinezza.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Os meus avós nos contam histórias da juventude deles.
🌎 Our culture is an important part of our identity.
our customs help show who we are
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Nuestra cultura es una parte importante de nuestra identidad.
🇫🇷 French: Notre culture est une partie importante de notre identité.
🇩🇪 German: Unsere Kultur ist ein wichtiger Teil unserer Identität.
🇮🇹 Italian: La nostra cultura è una parte importante della nostra identità.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A nossa cultura é uma parte importante da nossa identidade.

🧠 Talking About Family & Culture

💡 Use in my family when describing something that your family commonly does.
In my family, we eat dinner together on Sundays.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 En mi familia, cenamos juntos los domingos.
🇫🇷 Dans ma famille, nous dînons ensemble le dimanche.
🇩🇪 In meiner Familie essen wir sonntags zusammen zu Abend.
🇮🇹 Nella mia famiglia, ceniamo insieme la domenica.
🇵🇹 Na minha família, jantamos juntos aos domingos.
In my family, we speak two languages.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 En mi familia, hablamos dos idiomas.
🇫🇷 Dans ma famille, nous parlons deux langues.
🇩🇪 In meiner Familie sprechen wir zwei Sprachen.
🇮🇹 Nella mia famiglia parliamo due lingue.
🇵🇹 Na minha família falamos dois idiomas.
💡 Use from generation to generation to talk about something passed down through a family over time.
This tradition is passed down from generation to generation.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Esta tradición pasa de generación en generación.
🇫🇷 Cette tradition se transmet de génération en génération.
🇩🇪 Diese Tradition wird von Generation zu Generation weitergegeben.
🇮🇹 Questa tradizione si tramanda di generazione in generazione.
🇵🇹 Esta tradição passa de geração em geração.

❓ Useful Questions About Family & Culture

👨‍👩‍👧 Do you have a large family?
asking if there are many relatives
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Tienes una familia grande?
🇫🇷 French: As-tu une grande famille ?
🇩🇪 German: Hast du eine große Familie?
🇮🇹 Italian: Hai una famiglia numerosa?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você tem uma família grande?
🏡 Do you live near your family?
asking if relatives live close by
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Vives cerca de tu familia?
🇫🇷 French: Habites-tu près de ta famille ?
🇩🇪 German: Wohnst du in der Nähe deiner Familie?
🇮🇹 Italian: Vivi vicino alla tua famiglia?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você mora perto da sua família?
🎉 Does your family get together often?
asking if relatives meet frequently
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Se reúne tu familia con frecuencia?
🇫🇷 French: Ta famille se réunit souvent ?
🇩🇪 German: Trifft sich deine Familie oft?
🇮🇹 Italian: La tua famiglia si riunisce spesso?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A sua família se reúne com frequência?
🌎 What aspects of your culture are important to you?
asking which customs matter most
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Qué aspectos de tu cultura son importantes para ti?
🇫🇷 French: Quels aspects de ta culture sont importants pour toi ?
🇩🇪 German: Welche Aspekte deiner Kultur sind dir wichtig?
🇮🇹 Italian: Quali aspetti della tua cultura sono importanti per te?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quais aspectos da sua cultura são importantes para você?
🗣️ What languages does your family speak?
asking which languages relatives use
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Qué idiomas hablan en tu familia?
🇫🇷 French: Quelles langues parle-t-on dans ta famille ?
🇩🇪 German: Welche Sprachen spricht deine Familie?
🇮🇹 Italian: Quali lingue si parlano nella tua famiglia?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quais idiomas se falam na sua família?
🕯️ Do you have any family traditions?
asking about customs kept in the family
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Tienen alguna tradición familiar?
🇫🇷 French: Avez-vous des traditions familiales ?
🇩🇪 German: Habt ihr irgendwelche Familientraditionen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Avete delle tradizioni familiari?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Vocês têm alguma tradição familiar?

💬 Everyday Conversations

Talking about family
asking about relatives and how often they meet
A: Do you have a large family?
B: Yes, I have three siblings and many cousins.
A: Do you get together often?
B: Yes, we get together for dinner on Sundays.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Tienes una familia grande?
🇪🇸 B: Sí, tengo tres hermanos y muchos primos.
🇪🇸 A: ¿Se reúnen con frecuencia?
🇪🇸 B: Sí, nos reunimos para cenar los domingos.

🇫🇷 A: As-tu une grande famille ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui, j'ai trois frères et sœurs et beaucoup de cousins.
🇫🇷 A: Vous vous réunissez souvent ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui, nous nous réunissons pour dîner le dimanche.

🇩🇪 A: Hast du eine große Familie?
🇩🇪 B: Ja, ich habe drei Geschwister und viele Cousins.
🇩🇪 A: Trefft ihr euch oft?
🇩🇪 B: Ja, wir treffen uns sonntags zum Abendessen.

🇮🇹 A: Hai una famiglia numerosa?
🇮🇹 B: Sì, ho tre fratelli e molti cugini.
🇮🇹 A: Vi riunite spesso?
🇮🇹 B: Sì, ci riuniamo per cenare la domenica.

🇵🇹 A: Você tem uma família grande?
🇵🇹 B: Sim, tenho três irmãos e muitos primos.
🇵🇹 A: Vocês se reúnem com frequência?
🇵🇹 B: Sim, nos reunimos para jantar aos domingos.
Talking about culture and language
asking which languages a family uses at home
A: What languages does your family speak?
B: We speak Spanish and English.
A: Do you speak Spanish with your grandparents?
B: Yes, we always speak Spanish at home.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Qué idiomas hablan en tu familia?
🇪🇸 B: Hablamos español e inglés.
🇪🇸 A: ¿Hablas español con tus abuelos?
🇪🇸 B: Sí, siempre hablamos español en casa.

🇫🇷 A: Quelles langues parle-t-on dans ta famille ?
🇫🇷 B: Nous parlons espagnol et anglais.
🇫🇷 A: Parles-tu espagnol avec tes grands-parents ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui, nous parlons toujours espagnol à la maison.

🇩🇪 A: Welche Sprachen spricht deine Familie?
🇩🇪 B: Wir sprechen Spanisch und Englisch.
🇩🇪 A: Sprichst du Spanisch mit deinen Großeltern?
🇩🇪 B: Ja, wir sprechen zu Hause immer Spanisch.

🇮🇹 A: Quali lingue si parlano nella tua famiglia?
🇮🇹 B: Parliamo spagnolo e inglese.
🇮🇹 A: Parli spagnolo con i tuoi nonni?
🇮🇹 B: Sì, a casa parliamo sempre spagnolo.

🇵🇹 A: Quais idiomas se falam na sua família?
🇵🇹 B: Falamos espanhol e inglês.
🇵🇹 A: Você fala espanhol com seus avós?
🇵🇹 B: Sim, sempre falamos espanhol em casa.

📝 Example Sentences

👵 My grandparents share stories about our family.
they tell us about relatives and the past
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mis abuelos comparten historias sobre nuestra familia.
🇫🇷 French: Mes grands-parents partagent des histoires sur notre famille.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Großeltern teilen Geschichten über unsere Familie.
🇮🇹 Italian: I miei nonni condividono storie sulla nostra famiglia.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Os meus avós compartilham histórias sobre a nossa família.
🎉 The family gathering was very joyful.
the meeting of relatives felt happy
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: La reunión familiar fue muy alegre.
🇫🇷 French: La réunion de famille était très joyeuse.
🇩🇪 German: Das Familientreffen war sehr freudig.
🇮🇹 Italian: La riunione di famiglia è stata molto allegra.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A reunião familiar foi muito alegre.
🗣️ In our family, we speak Spanish at home.
Spanish is the language used in the house
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: En nuestra familia hablamos español en casa.
🇫🇷 French: Dans notre famille, nous parlons espagnol à la maison.
🇩🇪 German: In unserer Familie sprechen wir zu Hause Spanisch.
🇮🇹 Italian: Nella nostra famiglia parliamo spagnolo a casa.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Na nossa família falamos espanhol em casa.
❤️ Respect is an important value in our family.
being polite to one another matters a lot
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El respeto es un valor importante en nuestra familia.
🇫🇷 French: Le respect est une valeur importante dans notre famille.
🇩🇪 German: Respekt ist ein wichtiger Wert in unserer Familie.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il rispetto è un valore importante nella nostra famiglia.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O respeito é um valor importante na nossa família.
👥 Each generation has different experiences.
older and younger people live different lives
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cada generación tiene experiencias diferentes.
🇫🇷 French: Chaque génération a des expériences différentes.
🇩🇪 German: Jede Generation hat unterschiedliche Erfahrungen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ogni generazione ha esperienze diverse.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cada geração tem experiências diferentes.
🌎 We learn a lot about our culture at home.
family life teaches us our customs
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Aprendemos mucho sobre nuestra cultura en casa.
🇫🇷 French: Nous apprenons beaucoup sur notre culture à la maison.
🇩🇪 German: Wir lernen zu Hause viel über unsere Kultur.
🇮🇹 Italian: Impariamo molto sulla nostra cultura a casa.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aprendemos muito sobre a nossa cultura em casa.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the word that fits.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%