Vocabulary · Brazilian Portuguese
Family in Brazilian Portuguese
Family in Portuguese: the word for every family member, with audio and an example each, from mãe and pai to sogra and cunhado, and the affectionate forms Brazilians use at home.
37 words, each with audio · Quiz and flashcards
Family in Portuguese, with audio
Parents and children
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a família | family | A minha família é muito grande.My family is really big. | |
| a mãe | mother | Minha mãe mora em Belo Horizonte.My mother lives in Belo Horizonte. | |
| o pai | father | Meu pai cozinha muito bem.My father is a great cook. | |
| os pais | parentsParents, not relatives: those are parentes. | Os pais dela são de Recife.Her parents are from Recife. | |
| a mamãe | mom, mommyWhat children say; adults say mãe. | Mamãe, olha o que eu fiz!Mommy, look what I made! | |
| o papai | dad, daddy | O papai já chegou?Is daddy home yet? | |
| o filho | son | O filho deles tem três anos.Their son is three. | |
| a filha | daughter | Minha filha começou a faculdade.My daughter has started college. | |
| os filhos | children (sons and daughters) | Vocês têm filhos?Do you have children? | |
| o marido | husband | O marido dela é carioca.Her husband is from Rio. | |
| a esposa | wifeIn speech, minha mulher is just as common. | Essa é a minha esposa, Carla.This is my wife, Carla. |
Brothers, sisters and grandparents
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o irmão | brother | Meu irmão mais novo ainda está na escola.My younger brother is still at school. | |
| a irmã | sister | Minha irmã é médica.My sister is a doctor. | |
| o maninho | little brother (affectionate)Also mano and mana; in São Paulo mano is “bro” too. | Meu maninho fez cinco anos.My little brother turned five. | |
| a avó | grandmotherOpen ó, as in “awe”. | A minha avó faz o melhor bolo do mundo.My grandmother makes the best cake in the world. | |
| o avô | grandfatherClosed ô, as in “oh”. | Meu avô era pescador.My grandfather was a fisherman. | |
| os avós | grandparents | Passei as férias na casa dos meus avós.I spent the holidays at my grandparents' house. | |
| a vó | grandma | Vamos almoçar na casa da vó?Shall we have lunch at grandma's? | |
| o vô | grandpa | O vô sempre conta as mesmas histórias.Grandpa always tells the same stories. | |
| a vovó | grannyVovô is grandpa, the same way. | A vovó mandou um beijo.Granny sends a kiss. | |
| o neto | grandson | O neto dela já está na faculdade.Her grandson is already in college. | |
| a neta | granddaughter | A neta mais nova se chama Luísa.The youngest granddaughter is called Luísa. |
Aunts, uncles and cousins
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o tio | uncleChildren also call any grown-up family friend tio. | Meu tio tem um sítio no interior.My uncle has a small farm in the countryside. | |
| a tia | auntSmall children call their teacher tia, too. | Minha tia mora em Manaus.My aunt lives in Manaus. | |
| o primo | cousin (male) | Meu primo vai casar em maio.My cousin is getting married in May. | |
| a prima | cousin (female) | Fui ao show com a minha prima.I went to the concert with my cousin. | |
| o sobrinho | nephew | Meu sobrinho adora futebol.My nephew loves soccer. | |
| a sobrinha | niece | Minha sobrinha nasceu ontem!My niece was born yesterday! | |
| os parentes | relativesA false friend: parents are pais. | No Natal vêm todos os parentes.All the relatives come at Christmas. |
In-laws and stepfamily
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o sogro | father-in-law | Meu sogro torce para o Grêmio.My father-in-law supports Grêmio. | |
| a sogra | mother-in-law | A sogra vem passar o Natal com a gente.My mother-in-law is coming to spend Christmas with us. | |
| o cunhado | brother-in-law | Meu cunhado me ajudou com a mudança.My brother-in-law helped me move. | |
| a cunhada | sister-in-law | A minha cunhada é professora.My sister-in-law is a teacher. | |
| o padrasto | stepfather | Meu padrasto me criou desde pequeno.My stepfather raised me from when I was little. | |
| a madrasta | stepmother | A madrasta da Cinderela era muito má.Cinderella's stepmother was very cruel. | |
| o enteado | stepsonA stepdaughter is enteada. | Ela se dá muito bem com o enteado.She gets on really well with her stepson. | |
| a gente | we, usEveryday Brazilian for nós, with the verb as for ele. | A gente almoça na casa da vó todo domingo.We have lunch at grandma's every Sunday. |
How Brazilians use them
Avó or avô: the accent changes the person
Avó, with an open ó as in “awe”, is your grandmother; avô, with a closed ô as in “oh”, is your grandfather. The same goes for vó and vô, and the plural os avós means grandparents.
Pais are parents, parentes are relatives
The masculine plural covers a mixed group: pais is parents, irmãos brothers and sisters, filhos children, tios aunts and uncles. Parentes, which looks like “parents”, means relatives.
A gente means “we”
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, a gente (literally “the people”) takes the place of nós, with the verb in the ele form: A gente vai à praia. Family talk is full of it.
Affectionate forms
Brazilians add -inho and -inha to family words: maninho, irmãzinha, filhinho. Children say mamãe, papai, vovó and vovô, adults mãe, pai, vó and vô, and kids call family friends, and their teachers, tio and tia.
Practise
Quick quiz · question 1 of 8
What does sogra mean?
Questions
How do you say “family” in Portuguese?
Família, a feminine noun: a família, minha família. Family members are membros da família, though in speech people just say minha família.
What's the difference between avó and avô?
Avó (open ó) is grandmother and avô (closed ô) is grandfather. In speech they're often shortened to vó and vô, and children say vovó and vovô.
How do you say “parents” in Portuguese?
Pais, the plural of pai: meus pais. Parentes looks similar but means relatives.
How do you say mom and dad in Portuguese?
Mãe and pai. Children say mamãe and papai, and adults use mãe and pai even when talking to their parents.
What does “a gente” mean?
“We” or “us”. Brazilians use a gente far more than nós in conversation, with the verb in the same form as for ele or ela: a gente vai, a gente come.
More Portuguese words
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