Family
Famiglia
- Introduce and tell about your family.
- Ask someone about their family. (size, structure,...)
- Possessive adjectives
This lesson introduces family vocabulary like 'madre' (mother), 'fratello' (brother), and possessive adjectives such as 'mio' (my) and 'tua' (your), helping you describe and ask about family members in Italian.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (18) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Divide the listed words into two distinct and meaningful categories, masculine and feminine, related to family.
Parenti maschili
Parenti femminili
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Lo zio
The uncle
2
La cugina
The cousin
3
Amare
To love
4
Il marito
The husband
5
La sorella
The sister
Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Describe the indicated relationships between the family members. (Describe the indicated relationships between the family members.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Juliette è la moglie di Mark. Juliette is the wife of Mark. |
|
Alexis e Louise sono i nonni di Anna. Alexis and Louise are the grandparents of Anna. |
|
Marco è il figlio di Birgit e Stephan. Marco is the son of Birgit and Stephan. |
|
Il ragazzo e la ragazza sono fratello e sorella. The boy and the girl are siblings. |
|
Caitlin è la madre di due ragazze. Caitlin is the mother of two girls. |
|
La ragazza ha due fratelli. The girl has two brothers. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Io ___ molto la mia famiglia.
(I ___ my family very much.)2. Tu ___ bene quando parli dei tuoi genitori.
(You ___ well when you talk about your parents.)3. Lui ___ passare il tempo con suo cugino.
(He ___ spending time with his cousin.)4. Noi ___ insieme con la nostra famiglia ogni domenica.
(We ___ together with our family every Sunday.)Exercise 8: My family
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Amare - Amare
Presente
- Io amo
- Tu ami
- Lui/Lei ama
- Noi amiamo
- Voi amate
- Loro amano
Stare - Stare
Presente
- Io sto
- Tu stai
- Lui/Lei sta
- Noi stiamo
- Voi state
- Loro stanno
Exercise 9: Gli aggettivi possessivi
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Possessive adjectives
Show translation Show answerssuo, i vostri, i suoi, mia, mio, la sua, Tua, nostra
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Amare to love Share Copied!
Presente
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) amo | I love |
| (tu) ami | You love |
| (lui/lei) ama | He/she loves |
| (noi) amiamo | we love |
| (voi) amate | You love |
| (loro) amano | they love |
Stare to stay Share Copied!
Presente
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) sto | I stay |
| (tu) stai | You stay |
| (lui/lei) sta | he/she stays |
| (noi) stiamo | we stay |
| (voi) state | You stay |
| (loro) stanno | they stay |
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Lesson Overview: Talking About Family in Italian
This lesson focuses on vocabulary and simple structures used to talk about family members and describe family-related situations in Italian at the A1 beginner level. You will learn important possessive adjectives, useful family-related nouns, and basic verb forms to express your relationships and personal connections.
Key Vocabulary: Family Members
The lesson divides family member words into two clear categories by gender:
- Male family members: il cugino (cousin), il figlio (son), il fratello (brother), il nonno (grandfather), il padre (father), lo zio (uncle)
- Female family members: la cugina (cousin), la moglie (wife), la figlia (daughter), la madre (mother), la nonna (grandmother), la sorella (sister), la zia (aunt)
Possessive Adjectives
The lesson highlights possessive adjectives such as mio (my), tuo (your), suo (his/her), nostro (our), and loro (their), which are essential to talk about family relations clearly. Example sentences include:
- Mia madre ama cucinare per la famiglia ogni domenica.
- Suo nonno vive vicino a noi.
- I loro figli giocano al parco.
Basic Verb Usage
You will see simple present tense verbs amare (to love) and stare (to be/stay) used in context:
- Io amo la mia famiglia. (I love my family.)
- Mio padre sta a casa oggi. (My father is staying home today.)
A basic conjugation table of these verbs is included to help practice and understand their forms.
Dialogues for Practical Use
The course provides polite and natural dialogues for various social situations like meeting someone, talking on the phone, or at social events. These dialogues use family vocabulary and possessive adjectives allowing you to practice common conversational phrases.
Differences Between English and Italian
Unlike English, Italian possessive adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, not the person who owns it. For example, "my mother" is mia madre (feminine singular), while "my father" is mio padre (masculine singular). Also, family vocabulary reflects gender in the noun endings, such as fratello (brother) and sorella (sister), which is not visible in English words.
Useful Phrases to Get Started
- Come sta la tua famiglia? – How is your family?
- Hai una sorella o un fratello? – Do you have a sister or a brother?
- Quanti fratelli hai? – How many siblings do you have?
- La mia famiglia è molto unita. – My family is very close.
This guide aims to build a solid foundation for talking confidently about your family and understanding others.
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