Talking About Family
These phrases will help you naturally discuss your family, living situation, and ask about others in both casual and polite settings.
Key Phrases
Hola, ¿qué tal está tu familia últimamente? Hace tiempo que no los veo.
neutralHi, how is your family doing lately? It's been a while since I saw them.
A standard, friendly way to ask about someone's family when you haven't seen them recently.
Buenos días, ¿cómo se encuentra su familia? Espero que todos estén muy bien.
politeGood morning, how is your family? I hope everyone is doing very well.
More polite — uses 'usted' (su familia) and the subjunctive (estén). Good for formal contexts or older acquaintances.
¿Qué cuentan los tuyos? Espero que por fin hayan podido ir a visitarte.
casualHow is your family doing? I hope they've finally been able to go visit you.
'Los tuyos' (yours) is a very common casual way to refer to someone's family.
Sigo soltero, la verdad es que prefiero disfrutar de mi independencia por un tiempo más.
casualI'm still single, to be honest I prefer to enjoy my independence for a little longer.
'La verdad es que' (to be honest/actually) is a natural discourse marker for spoken Spanish.
Actualmente estoy casado y mi mujer y yo vivimos a las afueras de la ciudad.
neutralCurrently I am married and my wife and I live on the outskirts of the city.
Clear and standard. You can also use 'mi esposo/a' or 'mi marido'.
¿Tienes hijos o todavía estás pensando en formar una familia en el futuro?
neutralDo you have children or are you still thinking about starting a family in the future?
A respectful way to ask about family planning without being too intrusive.
Y tú, ¿para cuándo los niños? ¿O prefieres esperar un poco más?
casualAnd you, when are the kids coming? Or do you prefer to wait a bit longer?
Very direct. Only use this with close friends or relatives, as it can be considered nosy.
Tengo dos hijos que ya van al colegio, así que estamos bastante ocupados todos los días.
neutralI have two children who already go to school, so we are quite busy every day.
Uses a relative clause ('que ya van') to seamlessly add detail to the sentence.
Mis padres todavía viven en el pueblo donde nací, así que los visito cuando puedo.
neutralMy parents still live in the town where I was born, so I visit them when I can.
Natural sentence flow using 'donde' (where) and 'así que' (so).
Toda mi familia reside en otra región, por lo que me gustaría viajar a verlos más a menudo.
politeMy entire family resides in another region, which is why I would like to travel to see them more often.
Uses slightly elevated vocabulary ('reside' instead of 'vive') and the conditional ('gustaría').
Tengo un hermano mayor que trabaja fuera y una hermana con la que me llevo genial.
casualI have an older brother who works away and a sister who I get along great with.
'Llevarse genial' is a very common casual phrase for having a great relationship with someone.
Vivimos en un apartamento que alquilamos hace años porque estaba muy cerca del trabajo.
neutralWe live in an apartment that we rented years ago because it was very close to work.
Shows the contrast between the present ('vivimos') and the past ('alquilamos', 'estaba').
Me alegro de que estén bien. Dales un abrazo muy fuerte de mi parte.
casualI'm glad they are doing well. Give them a big hug from me.
Uses the subjunctive ('estén'). Giving 'a big hug' is standard for casual well-wishes in Spanish.
Me alegra que todos estén bien. Por favor, dales muchos recuerdos de mi parte.
politeI am glad everyone is doing well. Please, give them my best regards.
'Dar recuerdos' (giving regards) is polite and appropriate for older relatives or formal contexts.