‘Cousin’ in Spanish: What To Name These Particular Individuals

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In Spanish, your cousin is your primo/prima. Household relationships are necessary in Spanish-speaking cultures, so it’s extremely possible you’ll have the chance to speak about and even introduce your cousins.

Grasp these Spanish phrases for household and when to make use of each, and also you’ll be capable to determine everybody within the household reunion picture and discuss these particular folks very quickly. 

Primo/prima (cousin)

The phrase for “cousin” in Spanish is both primo (male cousin) or prima (feminine cousin). That is the usual phrase for the hijo/hija (son/daughter) of your tío/tía (uncle/aunt). 

• El hijo de mi tía es mi primo. = My aunt’s son is my cousin. 
• Isabela es mi prima. Es la hija de mi tío Manuel. = Isabela is my cousin. She is my uncle Manuel’s daughter. 

Primos/primas (cousins)

Should you’re referring to multiple cousin as a bunch, you might have two choices. You’ll use mis primos (my cousins) to speak about a number of male cousins or a blended group of each female and male cousins. Should you’re referring to a number of feminine cousins, you’d say mis primas (my cousins). 

This distinction is because of the customary Spanish gender guidelines about plural nouns. The female plural noun is simply used when the group consists completely of feminine members, whereas the masculine plural can embody each genders. 

We see this sample with many teams of relations. As English makes use of a gender-neutral time period like “dad and mom,” it’s price conserving in thoughts that phrases like abuelos might imply both “grandparents” or “grandfathers” in Spanish. The context will often make it clear although. 

• Mis padres vienen este fin de semana. = My dad and mom are coming this weekend. 
• Mis tíos tienen tres hijos. = My aunt and uncle have three youngsters. 
• ¿Tienes hermanos? = Do you might have siblings?
• Sí, tengo tres hermanos y una hermana mayor. = Sure, I’ve three brothers and an older sister. 

Different phrases for cousins in Spanish

How do you say “cousin” in Spanish when it’s extra sophisticated? Like English, the precise phrases for household relationships similar to “second cousin as soon as eliminated,” generally is a bit complicated. Whereas it may not be necessary to be extra particular than primo/prima, listed here are another methods to explain the connection along with your cousins in Spanish. 

Do you utilize ser or estar to speak about relationships? 

Use the verb ser (to be), not estar (to be) to debate household and pal relationships. That is one use of ser vs. estar that’s pretty easy. 

• María es mi prima. = María is my cousin. 
• María y Óscar son mis primos. = María and Óscar are my cousins. 
• Somos primos segundos. = We’re second-cousins. 
• Soy la hija de Jose. = I’m Jose’s daughter. 

You’ll additionally need to grasp Spanish possessive adjectives in an effort to use phrases like mi/mis (my) and tu/tus (your) accurately. 

Tips on how to clarify a fancy household relationship in Spanish 

As you progress deeper into dialog with a Spanish-speaker or one in every of Rosetta Stone’s skilled tutors, it’s useful to know the Spanish possessive construction de (of). 

With objects, the construction is: possession + de + proprietor 

• la casa de Marta = Marta’s home

Relationships work this manner as properly: relation + de + individual = the individual’s relationship 

• la novia de mi primo = my cousin’s girlfriend

Pay attention fastidiously as Spanish audio system discuss their households. They gained’t use the apostrophe “s” as a result of it doesn’t exist in Spanish. Notice that the order of the folks talked about is in reverse. 

• Ella es la prima de la madre de mi abuelo. = She is my grandfather’s mom’s cousin. (actually, “the cousin of the mom of my grandfather). 
• Es la ex-esposa del padre de mi hermanastro. = She’s my step-brother’s father’s ex-wife. (actually, “the ex-wife of the daddy of my step-brother).

Chances are you’ll want some extra vocabulary should you’re giving a household medical historical past or speaking about completely different sides of tu árbol genealógico (the household tree). 

• paterno/paterna (paternal)
• por parte de mi padre (on my father’s facet) 
• materno/materna (maternal)
• por parte de mi madre (on my mom’s facet) 

Member of the family vocabulary

Now that the attainable phrases for “cousin,” check out different widespread phrases for relations in Spanish. Many “pairs” of phrases comply with the sample of the “-o” ending of the masculine noun altering to “-a” for the female model.

Discover how Spanish makes use of the masculine plural kind for nouns like “dad and mom,” “youngsters,” and “siblings,” whereas the female phrases are reserved for phrases that confer with girls and women solely, like “sister” in Spanish. 

Now you’re prepared to satisfy somebody’s abuela (“grandma” in Spanish) and reply questions on your loved ones. Interact much more with Spanish-speaking tradition and journey the world with Rosetta Stone.