Language/Portuguese/Vocabulary/Family-Members

Portuguese Vocabulary → Unit 3: Family and Descriptions → Family Members

Olá pessoal! Welcome to Unit 3 of the Complete 0 to A1 Portuguese Course. In this unit, we will learn vocabulary to describe family members and their relationships as well as how to describe people's appearances and personalities.

Family Members

Let's start the lesson by learning some Portuguese words for family members!

Portuguese	Pronunciation	English
Pai	/paɪ/	Father
Mãe	/maɪ/	Mother
Avô	/ɐ'vo/	Grandfather
Avó	/ɐ'vo/	Grandmother
Irmã	/ẽ'ʁmɐ/	Sister
Irmão	/iɾ'mɐ̃w̃/	Brother
Filho	/'fiʎu/	Son
Filha	/'fiʎɐ/	Daughter
Tio	/'tiu/	Uncle
Tia	/'tjɐ/	Aunt

Now it's time to learn some adjectives to describe family members' relationships:

• Casado/Casada - Married (Used for both husband and wife);
• Divorciado/Divorciada - Divorced (Used for both husband and wife);
• Viúvo/Viúva - Widower/Widow.

Let's put it into practice!

Eu sou casada com o meu marido. Ele é o meu esposo. Ele é o filho da minha sogra e do meu sogro. Meu sogro é o pai do meu marido, e minha sogra é a mãe do meu marido. Eu tenho um filho e uma filha. Eu sou a mãe deles. Eles são irmãos. Meu pai e minha mãe são avós dos meus filhos. O irmão do meu pai é meu tio e a irmã da minha mãe é minha tia.

English translation:

I am married to my husband. He is my spouse. He is the son of my mother-in-law and my father-in-law. My father-in-law is my husband's father, and my mother-in-law is my husband's mother. I have a son and a daughter. I am their mother. They are siblings. My father and mother are grandparents to my children. My father's brother is my uncle and my mother's sister is my aunt.

Describing Family Members

Now you know the words for family members, it's time to learn how to describe them! Let's go through some adjectives on how to describe physical characteristics:

• Alto/Alta - Tall
• Baixo/Baixa - Short
• Magro/Magra - Skinny
• Gordo/Gorda - Fat
• Novo/Nova - Young
• Velho/Velha - Old
• Bonito/Bonita - Beautiful
• Feio/Feia - Ugly

Using these adjectives, let's create some phrases:

• O meu irmão é alto (My brother is tall);
• A minha mãe é baixa (My mother is short);
• O meu avô é velho (My grandfather is old);
• A minha tia é bonita (My aunt is beautiful).

It's not only about physical characteristics. You can describe personality too!

Here are some adjectives to describe personality:

• Simpático/Simpática - Nice
• Antipático/Antipática - Mean
• Extrovertido/Extrovertida - Outgoing
• Introvertido/Introvertida - Shy
• Inteligente - Intelligent
• Engraçado/Engraçada - Funny
• Chato/Chata - Annoying

Using these adjectives, let's create some phrases:

• A minha irmã é simpática (My sister is nice);
• O meu irmão é engraçado (My brother is funny);
• O meu pai é inteligente (My father is intelligent).

It's time to practice!

A minha irmã é extrovertida e engraçada. O meu irmão é chato e antipático. A minha mãe é inteligente e a minha avó é bonita. O meu avô é velho e simpático.

English translation:

My sister is outgoing and funny. My brother is annoying and mean. My mother is intelligent and my grandmother is beautiful. My grandfather is old and nice.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing Unit 3 - Family and Descriptions! In this lesson, you have learned Portuguese vocabulary to describe family members and their relationships as well as how to describe people's appearances and personalities. Keep practicing and soon you will reach the next level!

Sources

• Portuguese Language
• Family

Table of Contents - Portuguese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Unit 1: Greetings and Basic Phrases

• Greetings
• Basic Phrases

  ---

Unit 2: Verbs - Present Tense

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs
• Ser and Estar

  ---

Unit 3: Family and Descriptions

• Family Members
• Physical Descriptions
• Personality Descriptions

  ---

Unit 4: Verbs - Future and Conditional Tenses

• Future Tense
• Conditional Tense

  ---

Unit 5: Portuguese-Speaking Countries and Cultures

• Brazil
• Portugal
• Cape Verde
• Angola

  ---

Unit 6: Food and Drink

• Food
• Drink
• Eating Customs

  ---

Unit 7: Verbs - Past Tense

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs

  ---

Unit 8: Travel and Transportation

• Air Travel
• Ground Transportation
• Transportation Customs

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Unit 9: Indefinite Pronouns and Prepositions

• Indefinite Pronouns
• Prepositions

  ---

Unit 10: Health and Emergencies

• Medical Vocabulary
• Emergency Services

Related Lessons

• Bus Station
• Vet
• Family
• Salon
• Beach
• Police Station
• Counting and Numbers
• Hospital
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Movie and Theatre