die Familie
family
Die Familie (the family) is feminine and takes die. The plural is die Familien, formed by adding -n. Unlike English "family", the German word is not used as a plural in itself, so a group of relatives is always singular: die Familie ist groß (the family is big), never sind.
The pronunciation surprises most beginners. Familie has four syllables, [faˈmiːli̯ə], roughly "fa-MEE-lee-uh". The stress lands on the second syllable, and the final -ie is not the long "ee" you might expect from Marie or Chemie. Instead it splits into two sounds, ending with a soft "uh". The plural Familien keeps the same shape and adds an -n at the end.
Compounds built on this word are everywhere in official German. Der Familienname is your surname, and it appears on almost every form you will fill out. Der Familienstand is marital status, with the options usually listed as ledig (single), verheiratet (married), and geschieden (divorced). Das Familienmitglied is a family member, and die Großfamilie is an extended family.
A common phrase is in der Familie liegen, which means "to run in the family". Musikalität liegt bei uns in der Familie means musical talent runs in our family.
Note that die Verwandten (relatives) is the word for family beyond the household. If you mean cousins, aunts, and uncles rather than the people you live with, Verwandte is more precise than Familie.
Article / Gender
English
family
Singular
die Familie
Plural
die Familien
die Familie appears in the following vocabulary collections:
Die Familie ist heute zu Hause.
The family is at home today.
Subject first, verb in position 2.
Ich besuche die Familie am Sonntag.
I visit the family on Sunday.
Direct object comes after the verb.
Wo wohnt deine Familie?
Where does your family live?
In yes/no and wh-questions, the verb is in position 2.
- What does Familie mean in German?
- Familie means "family". It is a feminine noun and takes die as its definite article: die Familie.
- How do you pronounce Familie?
- Familie has four syllables, pronounced [faˈmiːli̯ə], roughly "fa-MEE-lee-uh". The stress falls on the second syllable, and the ending is a soft "uh" rather than a long "ee".
- What is the plural of Familie?
- The plural is die Familien, formed by adding -n. Note that a single family always takes a singular verb in German: die Familie kommt (the family is coming).
- What does Familienstand mean?
- Der Familienstand means "marital status" and appears on almost every German official form. The usual answers are ledig (single), verheiratet (married), geschieden (divorced), and verwitwet (widowed).
- What is the difference between Familie and Verwandte?
- Familie usually means your immediate family, the people you live with or are closest to. Die Verwandten means relatives more broadly, covering aunts, uncles, and cousins.