How to Talk About Your Family in Italian

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While Italians are passionate about a lot of things-food, calcio, fashion, to name a few-family is one of the most important.

Since it is such an essential part of Italian culture, you're going to be asked about your family when you start to chat with natives, and it's a great conversation starter.

So what specific vocabulary words do you need to know, and which phrases will help the conversation flow smoothly?

Basic Vocabulary - Family Members

aunt	la zia
boy	il ragazzo
brother	il fratello
brother-in-law	il cognato
cousin (female)	la cugina
cousin (male)	il cugino
daughter	la figlia
daughter-in-law	la nuora
family	la famiglia
father	il padre
father-in-law	il suocero
girl	la ragazza
grandchild	il nipote
granddaughter	la nipote
grandfather	il nonno
grandmother	la nonna
grandparents	i nonni
grandson	il nipote
husband	il marito
mother	la madre
mother-in-law	la suocera
nephew	il nipote
niece	la nipote
parents	i genitori
relative	il parente
sister	la sorella
sister-in-law	la cognata
son	il figlio
son-in-law	il genero
stepfather	il patrigno
stepmother	la matrigna
step brother; half brother	il fratellastro
step sister; half sister	la sorellastra
uncle	lo zio
wife	la moglie

Conversational Phrases

A casa tutto bene? - Is everything good at home?
"A casa" here is used as in a figurative way to mean, “family”.

Another option is to ask: Come sta la sua famiglia? - How is your family?

If you want to ask informally, you can say, “Come sta la tua famiglia?”

Come stanno i suoi? - How are your (parents)?

If you want to ask informally, you can say, “Come stanno i tuoi?”

FUN FACT: Italians shorten “i tuoi genitori” to “i tuoi”, so you can say “i miei” instead of “i miei genitori” and sound more Italian.

Ha fratelli o sorelle? - Do you have brothers or sisters?

If you want to ask informally, you can say, “Hai fratelli o sorelle?"

Ha dei figli? - Do you have any kids?

If you want to ask informally, you can say, “Hai dei figli?”

Ho due maschi e una femmina. - I have two boys and one girl.
Si chiama… - His/her name is…
Hai una famiglia numerosa! - You have a big family!
Sono figlio unico. - I'm an only child. (male)
Sono figlia unica. - I'm an only child. (female)
Lei è sposato/a? - Are you married?

If you want to ask informally, you can say, “Sei sposato/a?”. Use “sposato”, ending in -o, if you're asking a male. Use “sposata,” ending in -a, if you're asking a female.

La mia famiglia viene dalla (Sardegna). - My family is from (Sardegna).
Mio figlio si è appena laureato! - My son just graduated!
Vado a trovare la mia famiglia (in Calabria). - I'm going to visit my family (in Calabria).
Che lavoro fa (tuo marito)? - What does your husband do for work?
Mia madre fa (l'insegnante). - My mother is a (teacher).
Dove abita? - Where does he/she live?
Le presento (mio marito). - Let me introduce my husband to you.

If you want to say this informally, you can say, “Ti presento (mia moglie)”.

Mi saluti sua moglie! - Say hello to your wife for me!

If you want to say this informally, you can say, “Salutami (tua moglie)!”.

Practice Dialogue

The best way to learn the language is to see the phrases and the vocabulary in action, so below you'll find a practice dialogue between two friends who have run into each other on the street.

Person 1: Ciao! Come stai? - Hey! How are you?
Person 2: Sto bene, e tu? - I'm doing well, and you?
Person 1: Tutto a posto, come sta la tua famiglia? - Everything is good, how is your family?
Person 2: Sta bene, mia figlia si è appena laureata! - They are good, my daughter just graduated!
Person 1: Complimenti!! E tuo marito? - Congratulations!! And your husband?
Person 2: Lavora moltissimo, ma andrà in pensione fra un anno. E tua figlia? - He's working a lot, but he'll be retiring in a year. And your daughter?
Person 1: Giulia? La settimana scorsa ha compiuto sedici anni. - Giulia? Last week she turned 16 years old.
Person 2: Davvero? Lei è cresciuta troppo in fretta! - Really? She grew up too fast!
Person 1: Lo so, è così. Allora, devo andare, è stato bello vederti, a presto! - I know, that's how it is. Well, I've got to go, it was great to see, talk soon!
Person 2: A presto! - Talk soon!