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How to Say "relative" in Spanish

English → Spanish

pariente

pah-ree-EN-taypaˈɾjente

nounA1general
Use 'pariente' when referring to a family member or blood relation.
A simple drawing of a smiling adult and a small child holding hands, representing a family relationship.

Examples

Todos mis parientes vendrán a la boda.

All my relatives will come to the wedding.

Ella es mi pariente favorita; siempre me da buenos consejos.

She is my favorite relative; she always gives me good advice.

No tengo muchos parientes en esta ciudad, solo mis padres.

I don't have many relatives in this city, only my parents.

Gender Flexibility

Pariente is a noun that describes both men and women. You use 'el pariente' for a male relative and 'la pariente' for a female relative, but the word itself doesn't change.

False Cognate Alert

Mistake: “Using 'parientes' to mean 'parents'.”

Correction: The correct word for 'parents' (mother and father) is 'padres'. Remember: 'parientes' means 'relatives' in general.

familiar

fah-mee-lee-AHRfa.miˈljar

nounA2general
Use 'familiar' to refer to a person who is part of your family, often used in plural 'familiares'.
A colorful illustration of a young child hugging an older adult (a grandparent figure) affectionately.

Examples

Voy a visitar a mis familiares que viven en el extranjero.

I am going to visit my relatives who live abroad.

Es la familiar más joven de toda la familia.

She is the youngest relative in the entire family.

Todos los familiares se reunieron para el funeral.

All the family members gathered for the funeral.

Gender Changes

When used as a noun, familiar refers to a person. It changes based on the person's gender: el familiar (male relative) and la familiar (female relative).

Using 'Familia' instead of 'Familiar'

Mistake: “Mis familiares es muy grande. (My family members are very large.)”

Correction: Mi familia es muy grande. (My family is very large.) OR Mis familiares son muchos. (My relatives are numerous.) *Familiar* refers to individuals, *familia* refers to the group.

relativo

reh-lah-TEE-bohre.laˈti.βo

adjectiveB1general
Use 'relativo' when something is not absolute and depends on other factors or circumstances.
A small cat sitting next to a very large elephant to show their relative sizes.

Examples

La verdad es relativa; depende de quién la mire.

The truth is relative; it depends on who is looking at it.

El éxito de la empresa es relativo si lo comparamos con el año pasado.

The company's success is relative if we compare it to last year.

Vivimos en una calma relativa.

We are living in a relative calm.

Matching Genders

Since this is an adjective, it must match the noun it describes. Use 'relativo' for masculine things (el valor) and 'relativa' for feminine things (la importancia).

Family Members

Mistake: “Mi relativo vive en España.”

Correction: Mi pariente vive en España. In Spanish, 'relativo' is almost never used to mean a family member; we use 'pariente' instead.

comparado

kohm-pah-RAH-dohkom.paˈɾa.ðo

adjectiveB1general
Use 'comparado' when you are making a comparison between two things.
A very large, shiny red apple placed right next to a tiny blue berry, emphasizing the difference in size for comparison.

Examples

Este coche es lento comparado con el modelo anterior.

This car is slow compared to the previous model.

Las cifras comparadas no mienten: hubo un gran aumento.

The compared figures don't lie: there was a big increase.

Ella, comparada con su hermana, es muy callada.

She, compared to her sister, is very quiet.

Adjective Agreement

When used as a descriptive word, 'comparado' must change its ending to match the thing it is describing: 'el informe comparado' (masculine singular), 'las notas comparadas' (feminine plural).

Forgetting the 'con'

Mistake: “Mi trabajo es mejor comparado su trabajo.”

Correction: Mi trabajo es mejor comparado CON su trabajo. (Always use 'con' to introduce the thing you are comparing against.)

Family vs. Comparison

The most common mistake is using 'relativo' or 'comparado' when you mean a family member. Remember that 'pariente' and 'familiar' are for people related to you, while 'relativo' and 'comparado' describe a state or comparison.

Related Translations

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