Asking About Names and Talking About Family in French

Talking About Family in French: Formal and Familiar Terms

When learning French, you will find that most textbooks and learning guides may start with the formal words for parents:

• la mère – the mother
• le père – the father

But in everyday conversation, French speakers often use more affectionate, informal words, just like we do in English.

From Formal to Familiar

Here are some common alternatives:

Formal Term	Informal Equivalent	English Meaning
la mère	maman	mummy / mom
le père	papa	daddy / dad

These are the words children typically use with their parents, and you’ll hear them often in spoken French, storybooks, and family settings.

Grandparents Get Nicknames Too

French also has sweet, familiar terms for grandparents:

Formal Term	Informal Equivalent	English Meaning
la grand-mère	mamie	granny / nana
le grand-père	papi	grandpa / gramps

These nicknames vary by region and family, but mamie and papi are widely used and understood across France.

Why It Matters

Learning both the formal and informal versions helps you:

• Understand real-life conversations
• Recognize emotional tone and context
• Express yourself more naturally

So next time you hear maman or papi, you’ll know it’s just French being warm and familiar.

Parents or Relatives?

Les parents in the plural can mean ‘parents’ but it can have a wider meaning as well, which is ‘relatives.’

Asking About Names and Talking About Family

Comment vous appelez-vous?
What is your name?

Je m’appelle… My name is…

Pierre Pierre Amélie Amélie

Vous avez des enfants?
Do you have any children?

Je n’ai pas d’enfants I have no children

J’ai… I have

un fils a son deux fils two sons une fille a daughter deux filles two daughters deux fils et une fille two sons and a daughter

Il s’appelle comment? /Ils s’appellent comment?
What is his name? / What are their names?

Elle s’appelle comment? / Elles s’appellent comment?
What is her name? / What are their names?

Whether you use il or ils, or elle or elles to ask about names comes down to the gender or genders of those in the group! Have a look at the constructions below:

Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular
J’ai un fils. I have a son.	J’ai une fille. I have a daughter.
Il s’appelle comment? What’s he called?	Elle s’appelle comment? What’s she called?
Il s’appelle Pierre. He is called Pierre.	Elle s’appelle Amélie. She is called Amélie.

Masculine Plural / Mixed	Feminine Plural
J’ai un fils et une fille. I have a son and a daughter	J’ai deux filles. I have two daughters.
Ils s’appellent comment? What are they called?	Elles s’appellent comment? What are they called?
Ils s’appellent Pierre et Amélie. They are called Pierre and Amélie.	Elles s’appellent Amélie et Annette. They are called Amélie and Annette.

The sentences above include an example of a reflexive verb, s’appeler, which means ‘to be called.’ To see more about reflexive verbs, see the dedicated lesson.

Quel âge a votre fils/fille?
How old is your son/daughter?

Il a quinze ans.
He is 15 (years old).

Elle a quinze ans.
She is 15 (years old).

Using ‘To Have’ To Talk About Age

‘Il a quinze ans‘ translates literally to ‘He has fifteen years,’ whereas English uses ‘to be,’ i.e. ‘He is fifteen.’

Exercise: Talking About Family

Using the same constructions as found in the Sentence Builder above, answer the following questions about brothers and sisters as indicated by the responses in italics.

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