You might be just starting out on your language studies, but don’t sleep on learning the vocabulary for family in Portuguese. Family is the heart of the social life force in Portugal and Brazil. In Portugal, loyalty and proximity to family is paramount, and many people live in close proximity to their relatives. In Brazil, it’s not at all unheard of to meet the whole clan of the person you’ve only recently started dating. Don’t take it so seriously, it’s just family!

Below, you’ll find all of the words you’ll need to talk about family in Portuguese. You’ll also notice some interesting particularities, like the fact that “foster parents,” or família acolhedora, literally means “welcoming family,” or that meio-irmão can mean both “half-brother” and “stepbrother.”

Refer to this list as you commit these words to memory, and practice your pronunciation by clicking the play button to hear how the words are pronounced by a native speaker.

Essential Vocab For Family In Portuguese

the family — a família

the relatives — os parentes

the extended family — os parentes distantes

the ancestor — o antepassado

the descendant — o descendente

the parents — os pais

the mother — a mãe

the father — o pai

the children — os filhos

the daughter — a filha

the son — o filho

the brother — o irmão

the sister — a irmã

the siblings — os irmãos

the stepchild — o enteado

the half-brother/the stepbrother* — o meio-irmão

foster parents — a família acolhedora

the guardian — o tutor

the grandmother — a avó

the grandfather — o avô

the grandson — o neto

the granddaughter — a neta

the nephew — o sobrinho

the niece — a sobrinha

the aunt — a tia

the uncle — o tio

the cousin — o primo (masc.) / a prima (fem.)

the parents-in-law — os sogros

the great-grandparents — os bisavôs

the second cousin — o primo de segundo grau

*O meio-irmão can mean both “half-brother” and “stepbrother.”