German · A1 · Everyday language
My family in German
Learn to introduce your family in German, ask who someone is, and use mein and meine to say “my.”
What you'll learn
- Name close family members.
- Introduce people with Das ist …
- Use mein and meine with family words.
- Say who you have in your family.
German phrases for my family
Das ist meine Mama.
This is my mum.
Mama is a warm, everyday word for mum. Use meine with feminine nouns.
Das ist mein Papa.
This is my dad.
Papa is an everyday word for dad. Use mein with masculine nouns when introducing someone.
Ich habe einen Bruder.
I have one brother.
Einen can mean “a” or “one.” Stress einen when you want to emphasize the number.
Meine Schwester ist klein.
My sister is little.
Klein means little or small. Use meine because Schwester is feminine.
Oma kommt.
Grandma is coming.
German uses kommt for both “comes” and “is coming.”
Wir sind eine Familie.
We are a family.
Wir sind means “we are.” Familie is feminine, so use eine.
Wer ist das?
Who is that?
Wer means “who.” Das can mean “this” or “that” when identifying someone.
Das ist mein Cousin.
That is my cousin.
Cousin means a male cousin. For a female cousin, say: Das ist meine Cousine.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
die Mama
mum
A familiar word; die Mutter means “mother.”
der Papa
dad
A familiar word; der Vater means “father.”
der Bruder
brother
After ich habe, use einen Bruder.
die Schwester
sister
“My sister” is meine Schwester.
die Oma
grandma
Often used without an article, like a name: Oma kommt.
die Familie
family
“A family” is eine Familie.
der Cousin
male cousin
Use mein Cousin when introducing him.
die Cousine
female cousin
Use meine Cousine when introducing her.
klein
little; small
It stays klein after ist: Meine Schwester ist klein.
Saying “my”: mein and meine
German possessive words match the noun that follows, not the person speaking. For subjects and introductions with Das ist, use mein with masculine or neuter singular nouns and meine with feminine singular nouns.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine: dad | mein + Papa | Das ist mein Papa. |
| Masculine: brother | mein + Bruder | Mein Bruder ist klein. |
| Feminine: mum | meine + Mama | Das ist meine Mama. |
| Feminine: sister | meine + Schwester | Meine Schwester ist klein. |
Family words after ich habe
Ich habe means “I have.” The person or thing you have is the object, in the accusative case. Masculine ein changes to einen; feminine eine stays eine.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine object | ich habe + einen + Bruder | Ich habe einen Bruder. |
| Feminine object | ich habe + eine + Schwester | Ich habe eine Schwester. |
More examples
Das ist meine Oma.
This is my grandma.
Use meine with the feminine noun Oma.
Mein Papa kommt.
My dad is coming.
Kommt also means “is coming”; no extra verb is needed.
Ich habe eine Schwester.
I have a sister.
Use eine with the feminine object Schwester.
Das ist meine Cousine.
That is my cousin.
This sentence introduces a female cousin.