In this instructional module, we will learn how to describe our families as well as learn about other people’s families. Think about your family and how you would describe it in English. Now, pay attention to the following conversation about Mariana’s family.

La familia de Mariana

Dylan es un estudiante de intercambio en Oaxaca, Mexico. Él estudia español en la Universidad de Oaxaca. Mariana’s family is hosting Dylan during his stay. In the following conversation, Dylan asks Mariana about his new host family. To understand the dialogue, focus on los cognados and use the information in Hablemos más.

El Blog de Dylan

Dylan is blogging about his experiences in Mexico. The following is a blog post in which he describes Mariana’s family.

Mi familia mexicana

¡La familia de Mariana es muy amable! Me siento como parte de su familia al instante. Ellos son muy divertidos y graciosos. Toman muchas fotos, como mi familia. Como ves en la foto, la familia de Mariana es enorme. Hoy vamos a comer a la casa de sus primos. La familia lejana (extended) de Mariana incluye sus tíos, abuelos, primos, sobrinos y amigos. Mariana y su familia mexicana siempre comen juntos (eat together). ¡Tenemos mucha hambre! (We’re very hungry!) Para comer, su tío cocina chilaquiles. ¡Son muy deliciosos!

¿Comprendiste? Decide si las oraciones a continuación son Ciertas (C) o Falsas (F) de acuerdo al contexto en el diálogo y el blog.

Lengua

In the dialogue and blog, what two verbs are used to describe Mariana’s family (e.g., what the family is like and how old her favorite brother is)?

As we saw in Módulo introductorio, in Spanish, the verb ser is used with adjectives to describe people, places, things, etc. What are some of the adjectives (e.g., grande) used in the dialogue and blog? What adjectives could you use to describe your own family? Remember los cognados.

Now let’s continue learning about familias. Let’s go to