family

Question

Hi,When you are introducing yourself, you also often introduce your family memebers to others.But here, do you say "family members"? Even though it conveys the meaning, but I don't think it's the native way of saying. Because I was taught not to say like that because it's not a native way of saying. Instead, I was taught to say like "I have 2brothers and 2sisters etc".As far as I know in question, you should ask like "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" But in question, we are missing asking their parents. Is that because native speakers believe it's obvious to have father and mother in the family?Thanks in advance.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Yes, it would be a little forward to ask, 'Do you have a mother and father?'-- we all do unless tragedy has intervened.

Khoff · Answer

Hi. I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. If I had to introduce myself and my family to someone, I would saysomething like, "Hi. My name is Jane Doe. This is my husband John, and these are my daughters, Hortensia and Calypso." (These are just invented names. "Jane Doe" and "John Doe" are standard English names for people whose real names are unknown -- for instance, if the police find an unidentified body they might call it "John Doe.")

If I wanted to inquire about someone's family, I might say "tell me about your family," or "do you live with your parents?" or "do you have children?" (depending on the circumstances.) I would not say "who are your family members?" - that phrase is not used much in conversation, although you might be asked to list your family members when filling out some kind of form.

Eimai_Anglos · Answer

John Doe: http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20020923.html

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,

Well, I think it would be much better if instead of 'Jane Doe', the police said 'Hortensia Doe'. Great idea!

Best wishes,

Clive

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