Family and Friends — Unit 1, Beginner English
Family words, adjectives to describe people, and phrases for friendships — with pronunciation tips and speaking practice.
Reading: My Family
My name is Sofia. I'm from Mexico. I have a happy family. My parents are Elena and Carlos. My mother Elena is a doctor. She is very kind. She always helps people. My father Carlos is a teacher. He is very generous. He gives money to poor people and he buys presents for everyone.
I have one brother, Luis, and one sister, Ana. Luis is 20 and Ana is 16. I also have many cousins. My cousins are my uncle's and aunt's children. My favourite cousin is Maria. She is very sociable. She loves meeting new people and talking to everyone.
My parents are married. They have a good relationship. They love each other very much. My grandparents are also important to me. My grandmother is very shy. She doesn't like big parties, but she is very friendly. I look like my grandmother. We have the same brown eyes and the same smile.
My grandfather is very different from my grandmother. He is funny and he tells great stories about his life. My grandparents live in a small house near the sea. We visit them every summer.
My mother is very close to her sister, my Aunt Rosa. They talk on the phone every day. Aunt Rosa is Maria's mother. Her husband is my Uncle Pedro. He is a police officer. He is a patient man and he never shouts.
I also have an uncle in Mexico City. His name is Diego. He is divorced and he lives alone, but he is not sad. He is a nurse in a big hospital. He works at night, so we do not see him a lot. We keep in touch on the phone.
My family is not big, but we get on well. Every Sunday we eat together at my grandparents' house. My mother cooks and my father makes coffee. I love my family very much.
Vocabulary from this unit
| Person | Family role |
|---|---|
| Carlos + Elena | grandfather / grandmother |
| Marco + Sofia | son / father · daughter-in-law / mother |
| Lucia | daughter / aunt |
| Tommy + Mia | grandson / nephew · granddaughter / niece |
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| husband / wife | a man/woman you are married to | Marco is Sofia's husband. |
| parents | your mother and father together | My parents live in Madrid. |
| children | sons and daughters (plural of child) | They have two children. |
| brother / sister | a boy/girl with the same parents | My sister is 12. |
| son / daughter | a male/female child | Their son is called Tommy. |
| grandfather / grandmother | your parent's father or mother | My grandfather tells great stories. |
| grandson / granddaughter | your child's son or daughter | Elena loves her granddaughter Mia. |
| uncle / aunt | your parent's brother or sister | Lucia is Tommy's aunt. |
| nephew / niece | your brother or sister's child | Tommy is Lucia's nephew. |
| cousin | your uncle or aunt's child | I have five cousins. |
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kind | nice and caring towards others | She's very kind — always helps people. |
| funny | makes you laugh | My cousin is so funny! |
| generous | happy to give time or money | He's generous — he always pays. |
| patient | calm when waiting or teaching | My grandmother is very patient. |
| shy | nervous or quiet with new people | She's shy at first but funny later. |
| sociable | enjoys meeting people | He's sociable — loves parties. |
| close | a very good / important relationship | I'm very close to my sister. |
| look like | to have a similar appearance to | She looks like her mother. |
2 more vocabulary sections in the full unit.
This is the free sample from this unit. The full unit adds 1 more reading passage, comprehension questions with an answer key, the listening exercises, flashcards for the vocabulary above, and a speaking task — with your progress tracked so the next unit unlocks when you are ready for it.
Common questions
What level is this unit?
Beginner — roughly CEFR A0–A1. If you are not sure of your level, the course places you with a short diagnostic before you start rather than making you guess.
Do I need to pay to use this?
The reading passage and vocabulary on this page are free to read. The rest of the unit — the remaining passages, the exercises, the listening, the answer key and the progress tracking — is part of the paid General English course.
Is this British or American English?
British English spelling and vocabulary, which is what most learners in Azerbaijan are taught and what IELTS expects, though both are accepted in the exam.