Spanish for Beginners: Politely Asking About Someone's Family
Learn to ask 'Do you have siblings?' and 'What do your parents do?' in Latin American Spanish, using question forms to show interest in someone else's family.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
Talking about your own family is one skill; asking about someone else's family is another. In Spanish, questions need different word order, question marks at both ends, and often a personal 'a' before people. This lesson gives you polite, natural questions to ask a new friend or classmate about siblings and parents, plus short replies so you can keep the conversation going. We focus on broadly useful Latin American Spanish, with notes where usage varies.
By the end, you can…
- politely ask whether someone has siblings.
- ask what someone's parents do for work.
- show interest with short follow-up questions and reactions.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
¿Tienes hermanos?
Do you have siblings?
TYEH-nehs ehr-MAH-nohs
The most common general question. 'Hermanos' can mean brothers or siblings; add 'y hermanas' if you want to be explicit. In Latin America, 'tienes' is the usual tú form.
¿Cuántos hermanos tienes?
How many siblings do you have?
KWAHN-tohs ehr-MAH-nohs TYEH-nehs
Use after the person says yes. 'Tienes' is the tú form; with usted you would say '¿Cuántos hermanos tiene?'.
¿A qué se dedican tus papás?
What do your parents do?
ah keh seh deh-DEE-kahn toos pah-PAHS
'Dedicarse a' is a natural way to ask about work. 'Papás' is warm and common in Latin America. The personal 'a' is required here because the question word 'qué' refers to people.
¿En qué trabajan tus padres?
What do your parents work in?
ehn keh trah-BAH-hahn toos PAH-drehs
A slightly more formal option. 'Padres' means parents and is neutral. Note that 'trabajar en' takes 'en', unlike 'dedicarse a'.
¡Qué interesante!
How interesting!
keh een-teh-reh-SAHN-teh
A friendly reaction that shows you are listening. Use it after someone answers.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask a yes/no question, Spanish often keeps the same words as a statement but changes intonation and adds inverted question marks: 'Tienes hermanos.' becomes '¿Tienes hermanos?'. For information questions, put the question word first: '¿Cuántos hermanos tienes?', '¿A qué se dedican tus papás?'. Notice the personal 'a' before people in '¿A qué se dedican tus papás?'. This 'a' is not translated into English; it marks that the question word 'qué' refers to people, not things. Compare '¿Qué hacen tus papás?' (no personal 'a', because 'qué' is the direct object of 'hacer') with '¿A qué se dedican tus papás?' (personal 'a' required with 'dedicarse a').
When to use it
Use '¿Tienes hermanos?' with friends, classmates, or people your age; it is friendly and informal. If you need to be more formal, use '¿Tiene hermanos?' with usted. For parents' work, '¿A qué se dedican tus papás?' sounds warm in Latin America, while '¿En qué trabajan tus padres?' is a little more neutral. If someone asks you first, you can answer 'Sí, tengo un hermano' or 'No, soy hijo único' / 'hija única' and then ask back. Note that 'hijo único' and 'hija única' agree with the speaker's gender.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Tienes hermanos?
Do you have siblings?TYEH-nehs ehr-MAH-nohsSí, tengo una hermana y un hermano. ¿Y tú?
Yes, I have a sister and a brother. And you?see TEHN-goh oo-nah ehr-MAH-nah ee oon ehr-MAH-noh ee tooYo soy hijo único. ¿A qué se dedican tus papás?
I'm an only child. What do your parents do?yoh soy EE-hoh OO-nee-koh ah keh seh deh-DEE-kahn toos pah-PAHSMi mamá es maestra y mi papá es cocinero. ¡Qué interesante!
My mom is a teacher and my dad is a cook. How interesting!mee mah-MAH ehs mah-EHS-trah ee mee pah-PAH ehs koh-see-NEH-roh keh een-teh-reh-SAHN-tehA little context goes a long way
In much of Latin America, 'papás' is an affectionate, everyday word for parents, while 'padres' is more neutral or formal. '¿Tienes hermanos?' is common and usually means siblings, not only brothers. In Spain, you will often hear '¿Tenéis hermanos?' for plural 'you' and 'vosotros' forms, but this lesson uses Latin American 'tú' and 'ustedes'. When in doubt, mirror the other person's formality.
One thing to watch for
Answering with 'Sí, tengo hermanos' when you mean 'I have one brother', or using 'hermanos' to mean only brothers.
Try this instead: Be specific: 'Tengo un hermano' (one brother) or 'Tengo una hermana' (one sister). If you mean both, say 'Tengo un hermano y una hermana'. Also remember the personal 'a' in '¿A qué se dedican tus papás?', not '¿Qué se dedican tus papás?'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask a friend 'Do you have siblings?' in informal Latin American Spanish?
Show a sample answer
¿Tienes hermanos?
This uses the tú form 'tienes' and the plural 'hermanos'. A valid alternative is '¿Tienes hermanos o hermanas?' if you want to be explicit.
2Translate: 'What do your parents do?' using a warm, common Latin American expression.
Show a sample answer
¿A qué se dedican tus papás?
'Dedicarse a' asks about someone's work or occupation, and 'papás' is warm and common. '¿En qué trabajan tus padres?' is also correct but slightly more neutral.
3Someone says 'Sí, tengo dos hermanas.' What is a polite follow-up question?
Show a sample answer
¿Cuántos años tienen? or ¿Y qué hacen?
Both keep the conversation going. '¿Cuántos años tienen?' asks their ages; '¿Y qué hacen?' asks what they do. Either works, depending on context. Note that 'tienen' is the ellos/ellas form, since you are asking about the sisters.
To show interest in someone's family in Spanish, ask with a clear question form: '¿Tienes hermanos?' and '¿A qué se dedican tus papás?'. Use inverted question marks, keep the tú form with friends, and react with '¡Qué interesante!' to keep the conversation warm.
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