Talking about family relationships

Here are some useful phrases for discussing family and relationships.

Parents and grandparents

‘Where do your parents live?’ ‘My parents live in Kerala.’

‘Are your parents still alive?’ ‘Yes, my parents are still alive.’

‘Where do her parents live?’ ‘Her parents live with her.’

‘Is his father still alive?’ ‘No, his father is no more.’

‘What does her father do?’ ‘Her father works at a bank.’

‘What do your parents do?’ ‘My parents are retired.’

‘What does your father do?’ ‘My father used to serve in the army but now he is retired.’

‘What does your mother do?’ ‘My mother teaches music at an academy.’

Relationship status

‘Have you got a boyfriend / girlfriend?’ ‘No, I don’t have a boyfriend.’ / ‘No, I haven’t got a boyfriend.’

‘Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend?’‘Yes, I’ve got a boyfriend.’

‘Are you married?’ ‘Yes, I’m married.’

‘Is he married?’ ‘No, he’s engaged.’

‘Is she married?’ ‘No, she’s single.’

‘Are you single?’‘Yes, I’m single.’

‘Is she single?’ ‘She’s divorced.’

‘Is his sister married?’ ‘She’s a widow.’

‘Is he married?’ ‘He’s a widower.’

‘Are you seeing someone?’‘Yes, I’m seeing someone.’

‘Is he seeing someone?’ ‘No, he’s not in a relationship.’

‘Is your sister married?’ ‘She’s separated.’

‘Is she seeing someone?’ ‘Yes, she’s seeing a colleague of hers.’

Notes                                     

When you are seeing somebody you are involved in a romantic relationship with him / her.

Pets

‘Have you got any pets?’ / ‘Do you have any pets?’ ‘Yes, I’ve got two dogs / cats.’

‘I’ve an Alsatian / a German shepherd / a Labrador.’

‘I’ve got a pet rabbit.’

Asking names and ages

Here are some expressions you can use to ask about people’s names and ages.

‘What’s your son’s name?’ ‘He’s called Aditya.’

‘What’s your daughter’s name?’‘She’s called Nivedita.’

‘What are their names?’‘They’re called Rahul and Mitra.’

‘How old is your son?’‘He’s ten.’

‘How old is your daughter?’‘She’s four.’

‘How old are your kids?’‘They’re ten and four.’

‘How old are you?’‘I’m thirty-four.’ / ‘I’m thirty-four years old.’

‘When’s your birthday?’ ‘It’s 18 May.’ (= It’s the eighteenth of May OR It’s May the eighteenth.)

 

Notes

While talking about our age, we do not usually say the words ‘years old’ after our age. It is possible, but not very common.