Identity and relationships — la identidad y las relaciones
This topic asks you to describe yourself and the people in your life: family, friends, romantic partners and the personalities behind them. AQA examiners want lively, idiomatic Spanish — not just "tengo un hermano y una hermana".
Core vocabulary — family (la familia)
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| family | la familia | always feminine |
| father / mother | el padre / la madre | mi padre, mi madre |
| brother / sister | el hermano / la hermana | |
| half-brother | el hermanastro | also stepbrother |
| stepfather | el padrastro | |
| stepmother | la madrastra | |
| only child | hijo/hija único/a | |
| twin | el gemelo / la gemela | mellizo/a for fraternal |
| husband / wife | el marido / la mujer | "mujer" = woman or wife |
| partner | la pareja | gender-neutral |
| in a relationship | en pareja | |
| single | soltero/a | |
| divorced | divorciado/a | |
| widowed | viudo/a | |
| engaged | prometido/a |
Describing personality (el carácter)
Adjectives must agree in gender and number:
- simpático/a — nice, friendly
- gracioso/a — funny
- hablador/a — chatty (hablador/habladora)
- quejica — moaner (invariable in colloquial use)
- generoso/a — generous
- perezoso/a — lazy
- trabajador/a — hard-working
- pesado/a — annoying, a pain
- comprensivo/a — understanding
- mandón/mandona — bossy
Grammar focus — possessive adjectives
| masc. sing. | fem. sing. | masc. pl. | fem. pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| my | mi | mi | mis | mis |
| your (tú) | tu | tu | tus | tus |
| his/her/your (Ud.) | su | su | sus | sus |
| our | nuestro | nuestra | nuestros | nuestras |
| your (vosotros) | vuestro | vuestra | vuestros | vuestras |
| their/your (Uds.) | su | su | sus | sus |
Trap: Spanish possessives do NOT change form before vowels (unlike French). "Mi amiga" stays "mi amiga".
Model phrases (memorise these)
- Me llevo muy bien con mi madre porque es comprensiva. — I get on very well with my mother because she is understanding.
- A veces discutimos, pero siempre hacemos las paces. — We argue sometimes, but we always make up.
- Mi mejor amigo me apoya pase lo que pase. — My best friend supports me whatever happens.
- Salía con alguien, pero rompimos hace dos meses. — I was going out with someone, but we broke up two months ago.
- Para mí, la familia es lo más importante. — For me, family is the most important thing.
- Nos parecemos mucho físicamente, pero tenemos caracteres muy distintos. — We look very alike physically, but we have very different personalities.
Cultural notes
In Hispanic cultures, la familia extendida (extended family) plays a central role in daily life. Grandparents often live with or very near the family and help raise children. The concept of familismo — strong loyalty and closeness to family — is a core cultural value across Spain and Latin America. Terms like cuñado/a (brother/sister-in-law) and suegro/a (father/mother-in-law) are distinct from step-relations.
⚠Common mistakes— Common mistakes (examiner traps)
- Using su ambiguously — examiners accept context but be precise where possible.
- Forgetting to agree adjectives: mi hermana es trabajador → should be trabajadora.
- Translating "I miss my brother" word-for-word — Spanish inverts: echo de menos a mi hermano.
- Using the wrong verb for "to know": saber = to know facts; conocer = to know people/places.
- Confusing ser (permanent traits) and estar (temporary states): mi madre es simpática (character) vs está cansada (she is tired).
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-spanish