Família: A Word You Already Know

The word família is one of the easiest to recognise and one of the most useful to know.

It comes directly from Latin (familia) and shares its meaning with the English word family.

🧠 How It’s Used

Portuguese uses família in all the same contexts as English:

• A minha família é pequena.
  → My family is small.

• Vamos visitar a família no fim de semana.
  → We’re visiting family at the weekend.

It can refer to close relatives, extended family, or even metaphorically to a group of people you’re close to.

🗣️ Pronunciation Tip

In English, we say FAM-uh-lee.

In European Portuguese, it’s fuh-MEE-lyuh and every syllable counts.

You can hear it here:
🔊 Família – Infopedia pronunciation

🧭 Final Thought

Some Portuguese words just feel like home and família is one of them.

The spelling, the meaning, and the emotional connection all align. One more reason you know more Portuguese than you think.