Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. I want to help you speak English fluently, speaking English is easier than it looks! You just have to use the right material and techniques.

In today's lesson, let's talk about kinship. That's to say, the relationship between the different members of a family.

Then, through a mini-story lesson, you'll practice vocabulary and, of course, your fluency. I'll use the question and answer technique to get you involved in the conversation.

Well, today we're gonna talk about family, and in particular, kinship. Kinship is what we call the relationship between two people from the same family, for example, father, son, etc.

Well, on this subject, I have a confession to make. Sometimes I also get confused with the kinship of my own family, especially for distant relatives. A relative is a member of your family, by the way. It can be a bit complicated, but it's not a language issue. It's about always wanting to define what relationship you have with someone else in your family, especially if you come from a large family.

Today you're gonna learn the most fundamental kinship. I recommend that you listen to this episode several times to better understand and consolidate.

I'll give an example of a family and name each member. It'll be easier that way.

And make sure you read the text. I've added a simple family tree graphic with the names of the family members.

Let's imagine a marriage. Alexander is married to Alexandra. Alexander is Alexandra's husband. Alexandra is Alexander's wife.

So, Alexandra could say things like:

My husband is lazy, never helps at home, and is always on the couch watching TV.

And Alexander could say:

My wife always tells me to clean up, but I'm tired. That's why I'm always on the couch.

Okay, we have this happy marriage, Alexander and Alexandra. They have children. To be exact, a son and a daughter: Alex and Alexa. Alexander is Alex's father or dad. Alexander is also Alexa's father. Logically, Alexandra is the mother or mom of the two children.

Alexander could say:

I am very proud of my children: Alex and Alexa. They're really smart.

Alexandra could say:

Unlike Alexander, my children always help at home. They're not lazy.

All right. So, what are Alex and Alexa to each other? They are brothers or siblings. Alex is Alexa's brother, and Alexa is Alex's sister. They are siblings.

So far, so good? We already have parents, sons, and brothers or siblings; husband and wife.

All right. Alexander, the father, has parents too, doesn't he? Sure, everyone has parents. Alexander has a father named Raymond, and a mother named Rachel.

And Alexandra? Well, she's Anthony and Antoinette's daughter.

So, let's have a look at the relationship between Raymond and Rachel, Alexander's parents, and Anthony, and Antoinette, Alexandra's parents, regarding Alex and Alexa.

Raymond and Rachel are Alex and Alexa's grandparents or granddads. Of course, Anthony and Antoinette are also Alex and Alexa's grandparents.

So how many grandparents do Alex and Alexa have? For grandparents. Alex and Alexa have four grandparents. They have Raymond and Rachel and Anthony and Antoinette.

Alex and Alexa say that they like their grandparents very much because they always bring them gifts.

The grandparents are very proud of Alex and Alexa.

Now, another important question. What are Alex and Alexa to Raymond, Rachel, Anthony, and Antoinette? Well, they are the grandchildren or grandkids. Alex and Alexa are the grandparents' grandchildren.

Do you get it? Alex and Alexa are the grandparents' grandchildren.

Is that understood? We now have three levels of kinship:

Grandparents

Parents

Grandchildren

Let's move on to the next section: