Family and friends

Family
The Basics
Extended family
Doublinig vocabulary

Be aware of variations on the same word:

Granny(informal) – Grandmother(formal)
Dad(informal) – Father (formal)
Complex relationships
Don’t just express the basic relationships.
Think in terms of different relationship types:
Step – familly:
• Step – brother or step – sister
• Step – mother or step – father
A step –relative is related legally but not biologically.
More descriptive
Marriage will make a family larger and also more
difficult to describe.
Spouse = husband or wife
In – laws = your spouses family
Example:
A. My mother – in – law is really annoying. She
always criticizes me.
B. My in – laws are really nice. I play golf with my
father – in – law all the time.
Getting married
Fiancé = a man to whom a woman is engaged
Fiancée = a woman to whom a man is engaged
Dealing with divorce
Not all marriages last forever:
• Divorced = when a marriage is ended.
• Separated = when a couple is apart but the
marriage is not legally ended.
• Ex – wife/Ex – husband =the former partner

Dealling with death

• Widow = a woman whose husband has
died
• Widower = a man whose wife has died
More vocabulary

• Only child = the one child in a family

• Nuclear family = a couple and their children
• Twins = two children born of the same birth
• Bachelor = an unmarried man
• Adoptee = a child who has been adopted
Friends
New Words
• BFF = best friend forever
• Bestie = short for «best friend»
• Dawg: A friend, or perhaps a close friend. Often
specifically refers to a male friend. It’s a close synonym
for dude, bud, pal.
• Usage: “What’s up dawg?”
• Origin: African American and/or Mexican American street
language (originally “perro”, in Mexican) starting in at least
the mid 1900s, but the earliest usage was likely towards the
end of the 1800s. The “aw” in dawg may have evolved from
the southern pronunciation of dog.
• Amigo: Spanish for “friend”, but used as slang for
friend in many English-speaking countried.
• Chum: A close friend.
• Origin: Derived from “chamber fellow” (roommate)  in the late
1600s.
• BFFL: Acronym for “best friends for life”.
• BGF: An acronym for “best guy friend” or “best girl friend”,
that specifies a platonic (non-romantic) relationship.
• BFBFF: An acronym for “best facebook friend forever”.
• Homie: Short for homeboy or homegirl. A close friend,
especially one from your home town, or who you grew up
with.
• Brother from another mother / BFAM: A male friend who
feels like a brother to you, but isn’t an actual sibling.
• Sister from another mister / SFAM: A female friend who
feels like a brother to you, but isn’t an actual sibling.
Friend as a verb
Another new development is «friend» becoming a
verb. It means to add someone on social media.
Exemple: I friended her on Facebook last week