Family Vocabulary in Italian

Essential words and phrases for beginners

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💬 Learn to talk about your family in Italian with these simple and useful words.

Talking about your family is one of the most natural things you do in everyday life — and it’s just as important when you're learning a new language.

In this post, we’ll look at simple Italian vocabulary and short sentences to help you describe your family confidently. You’ll learn how to say “my mum,” “my brother,” “my grandparents,” and more — all with clear examples so you can start using them straight away.

👪 Parents and Children

my parents – i miei genitori
my mum – mia mamma
my dad – mio papà
my mother – mia madre
my father – mio padre

my foster family – la mia famiglia affidataria
my adoptive mother – mia madre adottiva
my adoptive father – mio padre adottivo
my biological mother – mia madre biologica
my biological father – mio padre biologico

my child – mio figlio / mia figlia
my children – i miei figli
my son – mio figlio
my daughter – mia figlia
my baby – il mio bambino / la mia bambina
my twins – i miei gemelli / le mie gemelle
my only child – mio figlio unico / mia figlia unica

my stepmother – la mia matrigna
my stepfather – il mio patrigno
my stepson – il mio figliastro
my stepdaughter – la mia figliastra
my stepchildren – i miei figliastri

my godmother – la mia madrina
my godfather – il mio padrino
my mother-in-law – la mia suocera
my father-in-law – il mio suocero
i miei genitori vivono a Napoli - my parents live in Naples
mia mamma adora il cioccolato - my mum loves chocolate
mio figlio ha cinque anni - my son is five years old
mio padre lavora in ospedale - my father works at the hospital
mia figlia ama molto gli animali - my daughter really loves animals
i miei figli vanno a scuola elementare - my children go to primary school

👴 Grandparents

my grandfather – mio nonno
my grandmother – mia nonna
my grandparents – i miei nonni

grandma – nonnina
grandpa – nonnino

my great-grandfather – il mio bisnonno
my great-grandmother – la mia bisnonna
my great-grandparents – i miei bisnonni

my grandson – mio nipote
my granddaughter – mia nipote
mio nonno gioca a carte con gli amici - my grandfather plays cards with his friends
mia nonna cucina benissimo - my grandmother cooks very well
i miei nonni sono molto affettuosi - my grandparents are very affectionate
il mio bisnonno è nato nel 1920 - my great-grandfather was born in 1920
mia nipote ha un gatto che si chiama Lulù - my granddaughter has a cat called Lulù
i miei nonni vengono da noi ogni Natale - my grandparents come to us every Christmas

👫 Siblings

my brother – mio fratello
my sister – mia sorella
my siblings – i miei fratelli
my stepbrother – il mio fratellastro
my stepsister – la mia sorellastra
my half-brother – il mio fratellastro
my half-sister – la mia sorellastra

my twin brother – il mio fratello gemello
my twin sister – la mia sorella gemella
my brother-in-law – il mio cognato
my sister-in-law – la mia cognata
mio fratello gioca a calcio ogni sabato - my brother plays football every Saturday
mia sorella studia all'università di Bologna - my sister studies at the University of Bologna
i miei fratelli vivono a Torino - my siblings live in Turin
la mia sorellastra è molto simpatica - my half-sister is very nice
il mio fratellastro sa cucinare molto bene - my stepbrother knows how to cook very well
il miei fratelli non parlano italiano - my siblings don't speak Italian

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Other Family Members

my husband – mio marito
my wife – mia moglie
my partner – il mio compagno / la mia compagna
my spouse – il mio coniuge / la mia coniuge
my boyfriend – il mio ragazzo
my girlfriend – la mia ragazza
my fiancé – il mio fidanzato
my fiancée – la mia fidanzata

my family – la mia famiglia

my uncle – mio zio
uncle – zietto
my aunt – mia zia
aunt – zietta
my cousin (male) – mio cugino
my cousin (female) – mia cugina
my niece – mia nipote
my nephew – mio nipote
mio zio si chiama Marco - my uncle is called Marco
mia zia arriva domani - my aunt is arriving tomorrow
mio cugino vive in Canada - my (male) cousin lives in Canada
mia cugina ha una casa molto grande - my (female) cousin has a big house
mio marito lavora qui - my husband works here
mia moglie è insegnante - my wife is a teacher
la mia famiglia è molto importante per me - my family is very important to me
la mia fidanzata è musicista - my fiancée is a musician
il mio compagno ama il caffè italiano - my partner loves Italian coffee
mia nipote suona il pianoforte - my niece plays the piano

📚 Want to Keep Learning?

If you enjoyed this lesson and want to keep learning Italian in small, simple steps, check out my beginner-friendly course:

👉 3 Minute Italian – Course 1
You’ll learn how to build your own Italian sentences from the very first lesson.

And don’t forget to browse the rest of my blog for more language tips:
📖 www.3minlanguages.com/blog
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