What does it mean word for word?
The phrase familia política literally translates to "political family". In this context, política refers to the legal or civil connection established through marriage rather than to government politics.
Which one should you use?
If you want to be more specific than the collective group, you can use different terms. suegros is a general term that encompasses both of your spouse's parents. If you are referring to a single male, use suegro for father-in-law and for a single female, use suegra for mother-in-law.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term los consuegros is used to describe the relationship between a person's parents and their spouse's parents.
How does it change in a sentence?
familia política is a singular noun phrase in Spanish used to refer to the collective group of in-laws.
Did you know?
- The word familia in familia política shares an ancient root with the Latin word for a group of household slaves. It suggests that the concept of 'family' originally grew from the people serving a single household.
- While familia política refers to the group, Spanish speakers often use the word políticos as a shorthand for in-laws in certain regions.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to refer to a suegra with a playful or stereotypical nuance of being overbearing.
Examples in context
- Mi esposa y yo vamos a visitar a mis suegros este fin de semana.My wife and I are going to visit my in-laws this weekend.
- Voy a llamar a mi suegra para felicitarla por su cumpleaños.I'm going to call my mother-in-law to wish her a happy birthday.
- Los consuegros de mi hijo son muy amables.My son's in-laws are very kind.
- Vamos a pasar las vacaciones con los parientes políticos en la costa.We're going to spend the holidays with the in-laws on the coast.
- Tengo una buena relación con mi familia política.I have a good relationship with my in-laws.
- Mi familia política vive en otra ciudad.My in-laws live in another city.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are having coffee at a cafe.
- DanielSofía, ¿visitarás a tu familia política este fin de semana?Sofía, are you visiting your in-laws this weekend?
- SofíaSí, iré a comer con ellos.Yes, I will go to eat with them.
- DanielQué bien, disfruta mucho el tiempo con tu familia política.That's great, enjoy your time with your in-laws a lot.
- SofíaGracias, Daniel.Thanks, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries familia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
