belle-famille
The English phrase 'in-laws' is translated into French as belle-famille.
belle-famille is used to refer to the relatives of a person's spouse as a collective group.
What does it mean word for word?
The term belle-famille literally translates to 'beautiful family'.
Which one should you use?
While belle-famille refers to the in-laws as a collective unit, beau-père is used to refer specifically to a father-in-law and belle-mère is used to refer specifically to a mother-in-law.
How does it change in a sentence?
belle-famille is a singular noun in French, even when you are referring to multiple people in the group of in-laws.
Did you know?
- In French, the prefix belle- or beau- is used for all step-relatives, meaning your stepmother is called your belle-mère just as your mother-in-law is.
- The term belle-famille uses the feminine adjective belle to mean 'beautiful' or 'fine', but it can also stem from the old usage of 'belle' to mean 'good' or 'honorable'.
- The term beau-frère for brother-in-law can refer to either the spouse's brother or the sister's husband.
Examples in context
- Hier soir, j'ai eu le plaisir de rencontrer la belle-famille de mon conjoint.Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting my in-laws.
- Ce week-end, nous rendons visite aux parents de mon conjoint .This weekend, we are visiting my spouse's parents.
- Ma belle-famille habite à Lyon.My in-laws live in Lyon.
- Il s'entend très bien avec sa belle-famille.He gets along very well with his in-laws.
- Nous allons dîner avec ma belle-famille ce soir.We are going to have dinner with my in-laws tonight.
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are talking about weekend plans.
- ChloéTu viens avec nous ce week-end ?Are you coming with us this weekend?
- HugoNon, je rends visite à ma belle-famille.No, I am visiting my in-laws.
- ChloéC'est sympa, Hugo.That's nice, Hugo.
- HugoOui, je les vois souvent.Yes, I see them often.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries belle-famille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
