Family in Arabic

In today’s free lesson you’ll learn how to talk about your family in Arabic. Practice your Arabic pronunciation as you listen to the audio, and while you’re at it – take a closer look at the different ways to say 'my' in Arabic. Speaking about people in Arabic will also help you understand how the Arabic masculine and feminine principles work.

After this lesson you'll be an expert on talking about your family in Arabic!

Resources for further reading:

Talking about Family in Arabic

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

Rocket Record lets you perfect your Arabic pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!

اهلي

Ahli

My parents / My relatives

اختي ساكنة في مصر

O7’ti sakna fi Masr

My sister lives in Egypt

اخويا طويل

A7’oya Tawil

My brother is tall

مراتي

Merati

My wife

جوزي

Gozi

My husband

حبيبي

7abibi

My beloved (term of endearment towards males)

حبيبتي

7abibti

My beloved (term of endearment towards females)

ولاد العم

Wilad El 3am

My cousins (children of Father's Brother)

ولاد الخال

Wilad El 7’al

My cousins (children of Mother's Brother)

ولاد عمامي

Wilad 3mamy

My cousins (on Father's side)

ولاد خالى

Wilad 7'aly

My cousins (children of Mother's brothers)

ولاد خالاتي

Wilad 7'laty

My cousins (children of Mother's sisters)

ولاد عماتي

Wilad 3maty

My cousins (children of Father's sisters)

Notice that in English we always use “my,” regardless of the person or group of people we are talking about. In Arabic, the general rule is to add a "ي" (i) at the end of the word to show belonging. Take a good look at the above list and begin to make the connections about gender rules and you will be half-way to understanding how Egyptian people think and speak!

Here are a few recommended Arabic lessons to try next!

!مع السلامة (Ma3a essalama!) Goodbye!

Amira Zaki: Rocket Arabic

Make It Stick With Rocket Reinforcement

Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!