Family & Relationships — Easy English Conversation

Transcript

Introduction

A: Today we’re talking about family — the words for the people in it, and the questions people ask you about them.

B: You’ll learn how to describe who’s who, how to say what someone is like, and what to say when you haven’t spoken in a long time.

A: Listen for these: siblings, in-laws, to take after someone, to get along with someone, What is she like?, and It’s been ages.

B: After that, five role-plays and a quick review, so you can practice out loud.

A: You can practice today’s phrases in Recursio — link in the description.

Who’s in your family

B: Let’s start with the word that saves you a whole sentence. Siblings.

A: Siblings. Brothers and sisters together?

B: Yes — your brothers and your sisters, in one word. “I have two siblings.”

A: Is that a formal word? It sounds like a form at the doctor’s office.

B: It’s neutral and common, though “brothers and sisters” can sound more conversational. You’ll hear both “Do you have any siblings?” and “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

A: So I’ll hear both, and I can use either.

B: You can. And if you don’t have any, there’s a phrase for that too: an only child.

A: “I’m an only child.” No brothers, no sisters.

B: Right. Notice we say “an only child” even about an adult. A fifty-year-old can say “I’m an only child.”

A: Good, because “child” was confusing me there.

B: And when you do have siblings, you can describe the order.

A: Older or younger.

B: Exactly. “My older sister.” “My younger brother.” “I’m the oldest of three.”

A: What about the middle one?

B: “I’m the middle child.” And the youngest is sometimes called “the baby of the family.” That’s affectionate, and people use it about adults too.

A: My older sister and I grew up together. Is “grew up” the usual phrase?

B: Yes. To grow up means to spend your childhood and become an adult. “We grew up in a small town.”

A: Now, the wider circle. My aunt’s children.

B: Those are your cousins. English uses one word for all of them — no separate word for a male or female cousin, and no separate word for your mother’s side or your father’s side.

A: One word does a lot of work there.

B: It does. And in standard English, just say “cousin,” not “cousin brother” or “cousin sister.”

A: And my brother’s children?

B: Your aunt’s child is your cousin. Your sibling’s son is your nephew, and your sibling’s daughter is your niece. Nephews and nieces can be children or adults.

A: “My niece is turning six.” And together?

B: There’s no common everyday word for both, so people usually say “my nieces and nephews,” or “my brother’s children.”

In-laws

A: Now the part I always get wrong. My wife’s mother.

B: Your mother-in-law. The pattern is simple: take the family word and add “in-law.” Mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law.

A: And all of them together?

B: Your in-laws. “We’re spending the weekend with my in-laws.”

A: And the plural is where I make mistakes.

B: Yes: it’s mothers-in-law, not mother-in-laws. The “s” goes on the family word — and you can hear it, right in the middle.

A: The same pattern gives us “two sisters-in-law.”

B: Exactly. And there’s a phrase for the wider circle: your extended family. In many contexts, parents, siblings, a partner and children are called your immediate family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are often part of your extended family. The exact boundary can vary.

A: And the everyday word for all these people is “relatives”?

B: Right. “My relatives live nearby.” “Relations” is possible, but “relatives” is the usual word for family members.

A: And when they all come together?

B: A family gathering. A reunion is often a larger gathering where relatives meet again after some time apart.

A: A gathering. That sounds calmer than what actually happens.

B: Sometimes it is calmer.

A: If these family words keep sliding out of your head, save them in Recursio for spaced review.

Partners, marriage and engagement

B: Now relationships. Let’s start with a useful neutral word: a partner.

A: What does it cover?

B: The person you’re in a relationship with. It doesn’t say whether you’re married, and it doesn’t specify the person’s gender.

A: “I’m coming with my partner.” That works at the office and at a dinner party.

B: It works well at work and with people you’ve just met. With friends you’ll also hear boyfriend, girlfriend, husband and wife.

A: And the verb for being married?

B: “To be married to someone.” Careful with the preposition: married to, not married with.

A: “She’s married to a teacher.” Not “married with a teacher.”

B: Right. And “married with” does exist — in a different sentence.

A: “They’re married with two kids.” There the “with” belongs to the children, not to the husband or wife.

B: Married to a person, married with children. And before the wedding?

A: That’s the promise to get married.

B: To get engaged. “They got engaged in June.” After that they’re engaged — and a man is a fiancé, a woman is a fiancée.

A: Those two are spelled differently, aren’t they?

B: In traditional spelling, yes. Out loud they sound the same, so the difference only shows up in writing.

A: My favorite kind of spelling.

B: And a few more you’ll hear: to go out with someone, to move in together, to get married, and to split up.

A: To split up. That’s the everyday phrase for ending a relationship.

B: Right. “They split up last year.” If a married couple legally ends the marriage, they get divorced.

Who do you take after

A: Here’s a question I got last month and couldn’t answer. “Who do you take after?”

B: A useful question. If you take after someone, you’re like an older person in your family — usually a parent or a grandparent.

A: In looks, or in character?

B: Either. “She takes after her father” can mean her appearance, her personality, or both. If you want to be clear, say which: “She takes after her father in appearance.”

A: And it only works upward, in the family?

B: That’s the usual pattern — a younger family member takes after an older relative. For people outside the family, you’d say “They’re similar” or “He reminds me of my uncle.”

A: Now, two questions that sound almost the same and are not.

B: This is the classic pair. “What is she like?” and “What does she look like?”

A: Start with the first one.

B: “What is she like?” asks about character. The answer is kind, funny, quiet, a bit strict.

A: And the second?

B: “What does she look like?” asks about appearance: tall, short, dark hair, glasses. So “What is she like?” is about personality; “What does she look like?” is about appearance.

A: So “like” is doing two different jobs, and “look” is the word that splits them.

B: That’s it. In this pair, “look like” asks about appearance.

A: Let me test myself. Someone asks “What’s your new boss like?”

B: Then they want the character. “She’s direct, but she’s fair.”

A: And “What does your new boss look like?”

B: Then it’s the appearance — you’re probably meeting her at the airport.

A: That example fixes it for me.

B: And one more: “You look like your mother” usually means appearance. “You’re just like your mother” often means personality or behavior.

A: Two similar sentences with different meanings.

B: They are.

Getting along and keeping in touch

A: Last section. The people part.

B: Start with the phrase that describes how a relationship works day to day: to get along with someone.

A: “I get along with my sister” — meaning we have a good relationship.

B: Exactly. And you can say how well: “We get along really well.” “I don’t get along with my cousin.”

A: Is there a British version of this?

B: You’ll also hear “to get on with someone” in British English. Say “get along with” and your meaning is clear on either side of the Atlantic.

A: And staying in contact over the years?

B: That’s to keep in touch — messages, calls, a visit once a year.

A: “We keep in touch.” And if we stopped?

B: “We lost touch.” That often happens gradually, without a fight. “We lost touch after school.”

A: And the sentence you say when you finally see that person again?

B: “It’s been ages!” Here, “ages” just means a long time. It isn’t an exact length.

A: “It’s been ages — how have you been?”

B: That’s the whole greeting, and it’s warm without being heavy.

A: And a short visit, with no big plan?

B: To drop by. “I’ll drop by on Sunday.” It suggests something short and informal.

A: Do I need to tell them first?

B: Expectations differ from family to family and country to country, so a quick message is a safe habit: “Is it okay if I drop by around four?”

A: And if I can’t come?

B: “I can’t make it this time.” Short, and you don’t have to explain.

Practice

A: Five role-plays. First: family small talk with a colleague.

B: Do you have any brothers or sisters?

A: I have one older sister. She’s four years older than me. What about you?

B: I’m an only child. Are you two close?

A: We are, actually. We get along really well now — less so when we were teenagers.

B: That can happen. Do you see her often?

A: Not often. She lives abroad. But we keep in touch — we talk every Sunday.

B: Notice how much of that was our phrases, in a completely ordinary conversation.

A: Second role-play: meeting your partner’s mother for the first time.

B: So you must be Sam. Come in, come in.

A: Thank you. It’s nice to finally meet you — I’ve heard a lot about you.

B: All good, I hope. You know, you look like my brother when he was your age.

A: I’ll take that as a compliment.

B: Please do. Now, everyone’s in the kitchen. Her father always cooks three things at once, and she takes after him.

A: Then I should probably stay out of the kitchen.

B: Third one: running into an old friend in the street.

A: Marta? It’s been ages!

B: It has! How have you been?

A: Good, busy. We moved last year — we’re on the other side of town now.

B: I had no idea. We really lost touch, didn’t we?

A: We did. Let’s fix that. Are you free next week?

B: Thursday evening?

A: Perfect. Let’s text and choose a place.

B: Fourth, and it’s a short phone call: planning a visit.

A: Hi, it’s me. Is it okay if I drop by on Sunday afternoon?

B: Of course. What time were you thinking?

A: Around four? I can’t stay long, I have to be back by seven.

B: Four is perfect. Bring the kids if you like — it’s just a small family gathering, nothing special.

A: Then we’ll see you on Sunday. Say hi to everyone for me.

B: One more, and it’s the one you’ll actually use: you’re picking up your partner’s sister at the airport, and you’ve never met her.

A: That’s tonight, actually. I’m picking Elena up at eight.

B: Then you’d better ask the two questions.

A: All right. What does she look like?

B: She’s tall, with short dark hair. She’ll probably have a red backpack.

A: And what’s she like? We’ll have forty minutes in the car together.

B: She’s easy to talk to. She asks a lot of questions, and she gets along with everyone.

A: Then I won’t have to worry about an awkward silence.

B: Probably not. One thing — she got engaged last month, but she may be tired of answering questions about it.

A: Understood. Airport, red backpack, and I’ll let her choose the subject.

B: Now it’s your turn. Answer out loud in the pause — there’s no wrong answer here.

A: Someone asks about your family. How many siblings do you have?

B: For example: “I have one sibling — an older brother.”

A: Someone asks, “What is your best friend like?” How would you describe their personality?

B: For example: “She’s calm, and she’s very funny once she knows you.”

A: You meet a friend after three years. What do you say first?

B: For example: “It’s been ages! How have you been?”

Quick review

A: Five quick questions. Answer in the pause, then listen for the answer.

B: No writing, just say it.

A: What’s one word for your brothers and sisters together?

B: Siblings.

A: What do you call your husband’s or wife’s parents together?

B: Your in-laws. Separately, your mother-in-law and your father-in-law.

A: Which preposition — she’s married to a doctor, or married with a doctor?

B: Married to a doctor. “Married with” belongs in “married with two kids.”

A: You want to know about someone’s character. Which question do you ask?

B: “What is she like?” With “look,” it’s about appearance.

A: You resemble your grandmother. Which phrasal verb describes that?

B: To take after. “I take after my grandmother.”

Outro

A: That’s family in English. Siblings, an only child, a cousin, a nephew and a niece, in-laws, extended family, a partner, to be married to someone, and to get engaged.

B: And to take after someone, What is she like? or What does she look like?, to get along with someone, to keep in touch, It’s been ages, and to drop by.

A: Fourteen phrase cards. If you only take two today, take “What is she like?” and “It’s been ages.”

B: Pick two now, before you forget them. Open the link below and practice them in Recursio.

A: Our next story is called “Sunday at My Sister’s” — some of these phrases, inside a story. See you there.