somos familia
/somos familja/from spelling rules
The phrase 'we are family' in Spanish is translated as somos familia.
somos familia is used as a statement to express that a group of people are related by blood or marriage.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, which often uses the article 'a' in 'we are a family', the Spanish phrase somos familia typically omits the article when expressing the concept of being related.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries, the expression Somos como hermanos is used to mean 'We are like brothers/siblings'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the subject pronoun nosotros (we) is often omitted because the verb conjugation somos already indicates the subject.
Did you know?
- The word familia is a cognate with the English word 'family', but it shares a deeper root with the word 'famished'. Both stem from the idea of a servant who is 'famulus', or someone who works for the household.
- The word familia comes from the Latin word for the 'slave staff of a household'. In ancient Rome, the term referred to everyone owned by the head of the house, not just blood relatives.
- While somos familia describes a relationship, the term familismo refers to a strong social cultural value where the needs of the familia are prioritized over the needs of the individual.
Examples in context
- Sr. Rodríguez, nos complace informarle que somos familia.Mr. Rodriguez, we are pleased to inform you that we are family.
- ¡Amigos! Somos como una familia, siempre apoyándonos mutuamente.Friends! We are like a family, always supporting each other.
- No te preocupes por el dinero, somos familia.Don't worry about the money, we are family.
- No importa lo que pase, somos familia.No matter what happens, we are family.
- En este país, somos familia.In this country, we are family.
- Tú y yo somos familia.You and I are family.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are discussing their shared heritage.
- DanielNuestros abuelos eran de la misma ciudad.Our grandparents were from the same city.
- SofíaEs cierto, por eso somos familia.It is true, that is why we are family.
- DanielEso explica por qué nos parecemos tanto.That explains why we look so much alike.
- SofíaSí, es un vínculo muy especial.Yes, it is a very special bond.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries familia, somos, CC BY-SA 4.0.
