Talking about Family and Relationships in German

When describing family and relationships in German, it's important to use the correct terms based on gender, relationship, and relative age. For siblings, you can use älter for older and jünger for younger.

To mention an older or younger sibling:

• mein älterer Bruder, meine ältere Schwester
• mein jüngerer Bruder, meine jüngere Schwester

When talking about your parents, die Mutter means "mother," der Vater is "father," and der Elternteil can be used for "parent" in a general sense.

For grandparents:

• die Großmutter is "grandmother"
• der Großvater is "grandfather"

When discussing aunts, uncles, and cousins:

• die Tante (aunt)
• der Onkel (uncle)
• der Cousin (male cousin)
• die Cousine (female cousin)

The in-law family members use the prefix Schwieger-:

• die Schwiegermutter (mother-in-law)
• der Schwiegervater (father-in-law)
• der Schwager (brother-in-law)
• die Schwägerin (sister-in-law)

For nieces and nephews:

• die Nichte (niece)
• der Neffe (nephew)

Here are some examples to use these words in sentences:

• Mein jüngerer Bruder lebt in Berlin.
• Meine Schwiegermutter kommt am Wochenende zu Besuch.
• Hast du viele Cousins und Cousinen?
• Ihre Großmutter ist sehr freundlich.
• Unser Onkel und unsere Tante reisen oft.

In German, the articles and endings change depending on the gender and case. If you are introducing or referring to someone in your family, you can use possessive pronouns (mein, meine, mein Bruder, meine Schwester) and adjust the endings for masculine, feminine, and plural forms.