Italian · Family

Family & Relationships in Italian

Mamma, papà, partner, figli — introducing people the Italian way.

51 entries ·Introductions, kids, partners · Audio on every entry · cross-checked

You're at a Sunday lunch in Naples. Someone's grandmother asks you about your family. You want to say your sister is married and has two kids, or that you're close with your parents, or just introduce your partner without making it weird. These are the moments where a phrase list earns its keep — not at the airport, but at the table.

This page covers the core vocabulary and phrases for talking about family and relationships in Italian: immediate family, extended relatives, partners and spouses, and the small sentences that stitch it all together — mia sorella, il mio ragazzo, i miei genitori. You'll also find how Italians actually talk about family in conversation, which is warmer and more frequent than you might expect.

The page is organized by theme: family members first, then relationships and partners, then useful phrases for introductions and small talk. Each entry includes the Italian, a literal gloss where it helps, and a natural English equivalent.

Every translation and audio clip here has been checked by a native speaker. If something sounds off to you, the contact link is at the bottom.

31 family and relationship phrases

Full index · ordered A → Z

La famiglia viene prima di tutto. lah fah-MEE-lyah VYEH-neh PREE-mah dee TOOT-toh
Saluta tanto la tua famiglia da parte mia. sah-LOO-tah TAHN-toh lah TOO-ah fah-MEE-lyah dah PAR-teh MEE-ah
Ha gli occhi di sua madre. AH lee OH-kee dee SOO-ah MAH-dray
Mi è come un fratello. mee EH KOH-meh oon frah-TEL-loh
Come sta la tua famiglia? KOH-meh stah lah TOO-ah fah-MEE-lyah
Ho un figlio. oh oon FEEL-yoh
Ho tre figli. oh treh FEEL-yee
Ho due fratelli. oh DOO-eh fra-TEL-lee
Sono figlio unico. SOH-noh FEEL-yoh OO-nee-koh
La mia famiglia è rumorosa. lah MEE-ah fah-MEE-lyah eh roo-moh-ROH-zah
mio suocero MEE-oh SWOH-cheh-roh
il mio padrino eel MEE-oh pah-DREE-noh
la mia madrina lah MEE-ah mah-DREE-nah
mia suocera MEE-ah SOO-oh-cheh-rah
mio nipote MEE-oh nee-POH-teh
mia nipote MEE-ah nee-POH-teh
mio fratello maggiore MEE-oh frah-TEL-loh mahd-JOR-eh
I miei genitori vivono a... ee MYEH-ee jen-i-TOH-ree VEE-vo-no ah...
Mio patrigno MEE-oh pah-DREE-nyoh
mia matrigna MEE-ah mah-TREE-nyah
mia sorella minore MEE-ah soh-REL-lah mee-NOH-reh
Assomiglia a suo padre. as-so-MEE-lyah a SOO-oh PAH-dray
Lei è la mia migliore amica. LAY ay LA MEE-ah meel-YOH-rah ah-MEE-kah
Questi sono i miei figli. KWES-tee SOH-noh ee MYAY FEE-lyee
Sono come una famiglia. SO-noh KOH-meh OO-nah fah-MEE-lyah
Questa è mia zia. KWES-tah eh MEE-ah DZEE-ah
Questo è il mio ragazzo. KWES-toh eh eel MEE-oh RAH-gah-TSOH
Questo è mio fratello. KWES-toh eh MEE-oh frah-TEL-loh
Questo è mio cugino. KWES-toh eh MEE-oh koo-JEE-noh
Questo è mio padre. KWESS-toh eh MEE-oh PAH-dreh
Questa è mia figlia. KWESS-tah eh MEE-ah FEEL-yah
Questa è la mia amica. KWESS-tah eh lah MEE-ah ah-MEE-kah
Questa è la mia ragazza. KWES-ta EH la MEE-ah ra-GAHT-tsah
Questa è mia nonna. KWES-ta eh MEE-ah NON-na
Questo è mio nonno. KWES-toh eh MEE-oh NON-noh
Questo è mio marito. KWES-toh eh MEE-oh mah-REE-toh
Questa è mia mamma. KWES-ta eh MEE-ah MAM-ma
Questa è la mia compagna. KWESS-tah eh lah MEE-ah kom-PAHN-yah
Questa è mia sorella. KWESS-tah eh MEE-ah soh-REL-lah
Questo è mio figlio. KWES-toh eh MEE-oh FEE-lyoh
Lui è mio zio. LWEE eh MEE-oh DZEE-oh
Questa è mia moglie KWESS-tah eh MEE-ah MOL-yeh
Non andiamo d'accordo. non an-dee-AH-moh dar-KOHR-doh
Ci siamo sposati l'anno scorso. chee SYA-mo spo-ZA-tee LAN-no SKOR-so
Ci assomigliamo chee ah-so-MEE-lyah-moh
Ci siamo fidanzati. CHEE sah-MYAH-moh fee-dahn-ZAH-tee
Aspettiamo un bambino. as-pet-TYA-mo oon bam-BEE-no
Stiamo divorziando. STYA-moh dee-vor-TSYAHN-doh
Stiamo da parenti. STYA-moh DAH pa-REN-tee
Siamo gemelli SEH-ah-moh jeh-MEL-lee
Siamo molto legati. SIAH-moh MOL-toh leh-GAH-tee

Frequently asked

how do you say family members in Italian

The basics are close to what you might guess: madre (mother), padre (father), fratello (brother), sorella (sister). In everyday speech, though, Italians almost always use mamma and papà — even adults talking about their own parents.

how do Italians say boyfriend or girlfriend

Ragazzo and ragazza cover boyfriend and girlfriend, though they literally mean boy and girl. For something more serious or adult-sounding, compagno or compagna (partner) works well and carries no awkward ambiguity about age.

do I use mio or mia for family members in Italian

It depends on the gender of the noun, not the person you're talking about. Mio fratello (my brother), mia sorella (my sister). There's one catch: with close singular family members, you drop the article — so mia madre, not la mia madre, though you'll hear both in casual speech.

how do you introduce your family in Italian

A simple ti presento mia moglie (this is my wife) or lui è mio fratello (he's my brother) gets the job done. Italians tend to add a detail or two — a name, a city, a job — so the introduction feels like the start of a conversation rather than a formality.