SPEAK FIRST · A1 · 50 min

My Family

Wife, husband, children, brothers and sisters. Talk about the people in your life.

Speak First · Lesson 2 of 15. ← Lesson 1: Name and Job · Lesson 3: My Home →

Today: say who is in your family, and ask another person about their family. Grammar: I have… and his / her.
Warm up — five words to remember. They come from Lesson 1. Do you know it? Say what it means and use it in a sentence. Is it new? Good — learn it now. Click Reveal to check, and follow the link to read the lesson.
a job — from Name and Job
What does it mean? Say your job.
a job — the work you do for money.
a company — from Name and Job
What does it mean? Name one big company.
a company — a business; people work there.
to meet — from Name and Job
What does it mean? What do you say when you meet a new person?
to meet — to see a person for the first time. "Nice to meet you."
an engineer — from Name and Job
What does it mean? Say: a or an?
an engineer — a person who makes or fixes machines, roads or bridges.
hot — from Name and Job
What does it mean? Is it hot in your city now?
hot — very warm.

Now — the words for today's conversation

These are the new words for My Family. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.

Words

  1. a wife
  2. a husband
  3. a son
  4. a daughter
  5. a brother
  6. parents
  7. married
  8. to call

Meanings

  • A. your mother and father
  • B. a boy — your child
  • C. to speak to a person on the phone
  • D. the woman a man is married to
  • E. a girl — your child
  • F. a boy with the same mother and father as you
  • G. the man a woman is married to
  • H. with a wife or a husband

1 = D (a wife) · 2 = G (a husband) · 3 = B (a son) · 4 = E (a daughter)

5 = F (a brother) · 6 = A (parents) · 7 = H (married) · 8 = C (to call)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are people? Which word is an action?
  • Two people talk about family. What questions do they ask? Guess two.

The conversation, in three parts

Leo shows Anna a photo of his family on his phone.
Look at the picture. Say:
  • Who are the people?
  • How old are the children? Guess.
  • Where are Anna and Leo?

Anna and Leo have lunch together. Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and answer the last one about you.

Part 1 — Are you married?

Anna: Are you married, Leo?

Leo: Yes, I am. My wife's name is Carla. She's a doctor.

Leo: And you, Anna? Are you married?

Anna: No, I'm not. But I have a boyfriend. His name is Pedro.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What is Leo's wife's name? What is her job?

2. Is Anna married?

1. Carla. She is a doctor.

2. No, she is not. She has a boyfriend, Pedro.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Are you married?

Part 2 — Children

Anna: Do you have children?

Leo: Yes, I do. I have two children, a son and a daughter.

Anna: How old are they?

Leo: My son is fifteen and my daughter is ten.

Anna: Fifteen! What are their names?

Leo: Marco and Sofia.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. How many children does Leo have?

2. How old is his daughter?

1. Two — a son and a daughter.

2. She is ten. Her name is Sofia.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Do you have children? How old are they?

Part 3 — Brothers and sisters

Leo: Do you have brothers and sisters?

Anna: Yes! I have three brothers. It's a big family.

Leo: Three brothers! Do they live in Brazil?

Anna: Two brothers live in Brazil. One brother lives in Portugal.

Leo: And your parents?

Anna: They live in São Paulo. I call them every Sunday.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. How many brothers does Anna have?

2. Where do her parents live?

1. Three. Two live in Brazil and one lives in Portugal.

2. In São Paulo. She calls them every Sunday.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Do you have brothers and sisters? Where do they live?

Grammar: I have / his, her

To talk about family, you need two small things: have, and the words his and her.

I have… "I have one sister." "I have two children." No children? "I don't have children."
Do you have…? Answer Yes, I do or No, I don't: "Do you have brothers?" — "Yes, I do. Two."
he → his · she → her. "This is my father. His name is Paul. He's seventy." "This is my sister. Her name is Eva. She's a nurse."
How old…? "How old is he?" — "He's twenty." · "How old are they?" — "They're five and eight."

1. his or her?

Complete each sentence with his or her.

1. This is my daughter. name is Julia.

2. This is my brother. name is Sam.

3. My wife is a teacher. school is small.

4. My son is ten. birthday is in May.

1. Her

2. His

3. Her

4. His

2. Make the sentence

Put the words in order. Then say the sentence out loud.

1. have / children / two / I

2. you / Do / brothers / have?

3. old / How / your / is / son?

4. don't / I / a sister / have

1. I have two children.

2. Do you have brothers?

3. How old is your son?

4. I don't have a sister.

3. Complete the conversation

Fill each gap with one word. Read the conversation out loud when you finish.

" you married?" — "Yes, I . My husband's name David." — "Do you children?" — "Yes, I . One son. name is Ben. He's six."

Are · am · is · have · do · His

Do you have…? → Yes, I do. · a boy → his, a girl → her.

Role Play

Lunch with a colleague. She asks about your family.

Round 1 — you are yourself. Read your partner's line, then say your own line from the cue in italics. Use your real answers. Then click to compare with a model.

Maria: Are you married?
You: yes or no · name

Maria: Do you have children?
You: yes or no · how many

Maria: How old is he?
You: age · name

Maria: Do you have brothers and sisters?
You: how many

Maria: And where do your parents live?
You: place · call?

Maria: Are you married?
You: Yes, I am. My wife's name is Elena.

Maria: Do you have children?
You: Yes, I do. I have one son.

Maria: How old is he?
You: He's twenty. His name is Luca.

Maria: Do you have brothers and sisters?
You: I have one sister and two brothers.

Maria: And where do your parents live?
You: They live in Rome. I call them every Sunday.

Round 2 — change roles. Now you are Maria. Ask the questions, and listen to the answers. Then say one thing you remember.

Quick-fire questions

Answer fast, in full sentences. No time to think. Then check a model answer for the ones that were hard.

1. Are you married?

2. What's your wife's name?

3. Do you have children?

4. How old are they?

5. Do you have a brother?

6. Where do your parents live?

7. Who do you call every week?

8. Is your family big?

1. Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.

2. Her name is Elena.

3. Yes, I do. Two.

4. They're ten and fifteen.

5. Yes, I have one brother. His name is Paul.

6. They live in a small town.

7. I call my mother.

8. No, it's small. Three people.

Speak

Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: "I have…" · "I don't have…" · "This is my…" · "His name is… / Her name is…" · "He's / She's … years old." · "They live in…"
Time remaining: 1:00
Task A · Play the conversation

You are Leo, but with your family. Follow the steps: married? → children? → how old? → names? → brothers and sisters? → parents?

Then change: you are Anna. Ask the questions.

Task B · My family (1 minute)

Say five sentences about your family: married or not, children, their names and ages, brothers and sisters, and where your parents live. Start the timer and keep talking.

Task C · Ask me

Ask me five questions about my family: married, children, how old, brothers and sisters, parents. Listen to my answers, and say one thing you remember.

To finish

  1. Is your family big or small? Who is in it?
  2. Who do you call every week? Why?
  3. From memory: "This is my son. ___ name is Marco." "This is my daughter. ___ name is Sofia." Say both.