FlexiLingoIn one line
beau-pèremeans both father-in-law and stepfather — and the whole French in-law system is built on that one prefix.
Nouns
Close family
| French | Pronunciation | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
la famille | /fa.mij/ | family | A1 |
les parents (m. pl.) | /pa.ʁɑ̃/ | parents | A1 |
le père | /pɛʁ/ | father | A1 |
la mère | /mɛʁ/ | mother | A1 |
le fils | /fis/ | son | A1 |
la fille | /fij/ | daughter, girl | A1 |
le frère | /fʁɛʁ/ | brother | A1 |
la sœur | /sœʁ/ | sister | A1 |
l'enfant (m.) | /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ | child | A1 |
le bébé | /be.be/ | baby | A1 |
le mari | /ma.ʁi/ | husband | A1 |
la femme | /fam/ | wife, woman | A1 |
l'époux l'épouse | /e.pu/ · /e.puz/ | spouse (formal) | B1 |
le filsis pronounced /fis/ — thelis silent and thesis not, which is the opposite of what the spelling suggests.
la femmeis /fam/, not /fɛm/ — one of the few words whereemmesounds like /am/.
Other generations
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le grand-père | /ɡʁɑ̃ pɛʁ/ | grandfather |
la grand-mère | /ɡʁɑ̃ mɛʁ/ | grandmother |
les grands-parents | /ɡʁɑ̃ pa.ʁɑ̃/ | grandparents |
le petit-fils | /pə.ti fis/ | grandson |
la petite-fille | /pə.tit fij/ | granddaughter |
les petits-enfants | /pə.ti.z‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ | grandchildren |
l'oncle (m.) | /ɔ̃kl/ | uncle |
la tante | /tɑ̃t/ | aunt |
le cousin la cousine | /ku.zɛ̃/ · /ku.zin/ | cousin |
le neveu | /nə.vø/ | nephew |
la nièce | /njɛs/ | niece |
Note that
cousinhas a feminine form and English does not —mon cousin/ma cousine. The same forneveu/nièce, which English also distinguishes.
By marriage — the beau- and belle- prefix
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
le beau-père | /bo pɛʁ/ | father-in-law — or stepfather |
la belle-mère | /bɛl mɛʁ/ | mother-in-law — or stepmother |
le beau-frère | /bo fʁɛʁ/ | brother-in-law |
la belle-sœur | /bɛl sœʁ/ | sister-in-law |
le beau-fils le gendre | /bo.fis/ · /ʒɑ̃dʁ/ | son-in-law |
la belle-fille la bru | /bɛl.fij/ · /bʁy/ | daughter-in-law |
les beaux-parents | /bo pa.ʁɑ̃/ | parents-in-law |
le demi-frère | /də.mi fʁɛʁ/ | half-brother, stepbrother |
la demi-sœur | /də.mi sœʁ/ | half-sister, stepsister |
beau-pèrereally does mean both and French does not resolve the ambiguity. Context decides.English keeps the two apart with two different systems — "-in-law" for marriage, "step-" for remarriage. French uses one prefix for both, which means you sometimes cannot tell from the word alone whether somebody is talking about their wife's father or their mother's husband. French speakers are used to this and do not find it confusing; you will, at first.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
se marier avec | /sə ma.ʁje/ | to marry |
épouser | /e.pu.ze/ | to marry (somebody) |
divorcer de | /di.vɔʁ.se də/ | to divorce |
avoir des enfants | /a.vwaʁ dez ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ | to have children |
élever | /el.ve/ | to raise, bring up |
s'occuper de | /sɔ.ky.pe də/ | to look after |
ressembler à | /ʁə.sɑ̃.ble a/ | to look like |
s'entendre avec | /sɑ̃.tɑ̃dʁ/ | to get on with |
rendre visite à | /ʁɑ̃dʁ vi.zit/ | to visit (a person) |
attendre un enfant | /a.tɑ̃dʁ œ̃n ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ | to be expecting |
se marier avec, notse marier à— and note that English "marry somebody" has no preposition at all.épouseris the one that takes a direct object.
rendre visite àis for people;visiteris for places.Je visite ParisbutJe rends visite à ma tante. SayingJe visite ma tantesounds like you are touring her.
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
aîné /ɛ.ne/ | aînée /ɛ.ne/ | elder, eldest |
cadet /ka.dɛ/ | cadette /ka.dɛt/ | younger, youngest |
unique /y.nik/ | unique /y.nik/ | only (child) |
jumeau /ʒy.mo/ | jumelle /ʒy.mɛl/ | twin |
adoptif /a.dɔp.tif/ | adoptive /a.dɔp.tiv/ | adopted |
proche /pʁɔʃ/ | proche /pʁɔʃ/ | close |
éloigné /e.lwa.ɲe/ | éloignée /e.lwa.ɲe/ | distant |
nombreux /nɔ̃.bʁø/ | nombreuse /nɔ̃.bʁøz/ | large (family) |
Set phrases
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Vous avez des enfants ? | /vuz a.ve dez ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ | do you have children? |
Je suis fils unique. | /ʒə sɥi fis y.nik/ | I'm an only child |
une famille nombreuse | /fa.mij nɔ̃.bʁøz/ | a large family |
Il ressemble à son père. | /il ʁə.sɑ̃bl a sɔ̃ pɛʁ/ | he looks like his father |
Je m'entends bien avec… | /ʒə mɑ̃.tɑ̃ bjɛ̃n a.vɛk/ | I get on well with |
mon frère aîné | /mɔ̃ fʁɛʁ ɛ.ne/ | my elder brother |
de la part de | /də la paʁ də/ | on behalf of, from |
côté paternel | /ko.te pa.tɛʁ.nɛl/ | on my father's side |
l'arbre généalogique | /aʁbʁ ʒe.ne.a.lɔ.ʒik/ | family tree |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
le fils /fis/ | The l is silent, the s is not. les fils is also /le fis/ — singular and plural sound identical. |
la femme /fam/ | One of the few words where emme sounds like /am/. |
les parents has two meanings | "parents" and "relatives". Usually parents. |
beau- covers both in-law and step- | French does not separate them. |
grand-mère with no e | grand, not grande — a historical survival. See noms-composes. |
enfant is masculine even for a girl | un enfant — but its adjective can be feminine: une enfant sage. |
ma femme means my wife | une femme means a woman. The article changes the meaning. |
Two words do double duty and both catch people out.
la femmeis "woman" and "wife";la filleis "girl" and "daughter". The determiner decides:ma femme= my wife,une femme= a woman;ma fille= my daughter,une fille= a girl. English has separate words for each, so this is a genuine ambiguity to get used to.
Why French makes fewer distinctions than some languages
every language distinguishes what matters to it
French has two words for the siblings of your parents: oncle, tante. English has the same two.
Many languages have four or more, separating the mother's side from the father's — because in societies where the two sides carried different obligations in inheritance or marriage, the language marked them.
And in the other direction, French distinguishes things English does not:
| French | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
cousin / cousine | cousin — no gender | /ku.zɛ̃/ · /ku.zin/ |
aîné / cadet | elder / younger — but not as single nouns | /ɛ.ne/ · /ka.dɛ/ |
And English distinguishes things French does not:
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| father-in-law / stepfather | beau-père for both | /bo.pɛʁ/ |
| brother-in-law (wife's brother / sister's husband) | beau-frère for both | /bo.fʁɛʁ/ |
The practical point: when you want to say "father-in-law", do not look for a more precise word. mon beau-père is what a French speaker says, and if it matters they add: le père de ma femme.