Learn Hardcore Romanian: În familia mea sunt trei copii: două surori și un frate. - In my family there are three children: two sisters and one brother.

You can say „Am trei copii”, but that usually means I am the parent of three children (my own kids), not my parents had three kids / there are three kids in my family (me + siblings).

So:

Talking about your siblings + you:
În familia mea sunt trei copii.
Talking about your own children:
Am trei copii.

What does „În familia mea” literally mean, and why is it in that order?

Literally:

în = in
familia = the family
mea = my

So „În familia mea” = in my family.

In Romanian, possessive adjectives (like mea) normally come after the noun they describe:

familia mea = my family
fratele meu = my brother
surorile mele = my sisters

The order „mea familie” is incorrect in standard Romanian.

Why is it „familia” and not just „familie”?

„familie” is the basic noun (family). Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not as a separate word:

familie = family (indefinite)
familia = the family (definite)

So „În familia mea” is literally in the my family, but in English we merge that as in my family (we don’t say in the my family). Romanian grammar, however, requires the definite form familia in this structure.

What is the difference between „trei copii” and „copiii”? They look very similar.

Root noun: copil = child.

copii = children (indefinite plural)
- trei copii = three children
- copii mici = small children
copiii = the children (definite plural)
- copiii mei = my children
- Unde sunt copiii? = Where are the children?

The number of i’s matters:

copii → children
copiii → the children

Why is it „două surori” and not „doi surori”?

Romanian numbers have different forms for masculine and feminine:

doi = two (masculine)
două = two (feminine / neuter in plural use)

The noun „soră” (sister) is feminine, so you must use the feminine form:

două surori = two sisters
But:
doi frați = two brothers (because frate is masculine → frați in plural)

So the choice between doi and două depends on the gender of the noun.

Why does „surori” look so different from „soră”?

This is just an irregular plural pattern:

singular: o soră = a sister
plural: două surori = two sisters

Some feminine nouns change the stem in the plural, and soră → surori is one of those irregular patterns you just have to memorize.

Why is it „un frate” (a brother) and not plural like the sisters?

The sentence is:

două surori și un frate
two sisters and a brother

So it describes two sisters and one brother. That’s why „frate” is singular and has the article „un” (a / one).

If you had two brothers, you would say:

doi frați = two brothers
două surori și doi frați = two sisters and two brothers

Is „copii” more like children (boys and girls) or sons?

„copii” means children of any gender. It does not mean sons specifically.

trei copii = three children (could be boys, girls, or mixed)
If you want to specify sons or daughters:
fiu / fii = son / sons
fiică / fiice = daughter / daughters

But in the context of siblings, Romanian much more often uses:

frați = brothers / brothers and sisters (generic)
surori = sisters

Can I change the word order and say „Sunt trei copii în familia mea”?

Yes, that is perfectly correct:

În familia mea sunt trei copii.
Sunt trei copii în familia mea.

Both mean There are three children in my family. The difference is just emphasis:

Starting with „În familia mea…” emphasizes my family.
Starting with „Sunt trei copii…” emphasizes the number of children.

Grammatically, both are fine.

Why is it „mea” and not „meu” or „mei”?

The possessive adjective must agree with the gender and number of the noun:

familia is feminine singular, so we use mea.
- familia mea = my family

Compare:

fratele meu = my brother (masculine singular)
sora mea = my sister (feminine singular)
frații mei = my brothers (masculine plural)
surorile mele = my sisters (feminine plural)

So here: familia (fem. sg.) + mea (fem. sg.).

Could I just say „Am două surori și un frate” instead? Does it mean the same thing?

Yes, and this is very natural. It means:

Am două surori și un frate.
= I have two sisters and one brother.

Both:

În familia mea sunt trei copii: două surori și un frate.
Am două surori și un frate.

are commonly used to talk about your siblings. The first is a bit more descriptive/formal (in my family there are...). The second is more direct/personal (I have...).

What does the colon „:” do in this Romanian sentence? Is it used like in English?

Yes, the colon works much like in English. It introduces an explanation or a list of what was just mentioned.

În familia mea sunt trei copii: două surori și un frate.
→ First states there are three children, then the colon introduces the list specifying them: two sisters and a brother.

You could also write it as two sentences:

În familia mea sunt trei copii. Două surori și un frate.

But the colon is neat and perfectly normal here.

Do I need to say „Eu” at the beginning, like „Eu, în familia mea, sunt trei copii…”?

No. Romanian usually drops subject pronouns when the verb form already shows the person. But in this sentence, the verb „sunt” is 3rd person plural (there are), not I am, so „eu” doesn’t belong here at all.

The understood subject is „trei copii”:

(Acolo) sunt trei copii. = There are three children (there).
În familia mea sunt trei copii. = In my family there are three children.

If you want to clearly say “I have…”, use:

Eu am două surori și un frate. (Here „eu” is optional; Am două surori… is enough.)