How to say "the relatives" in French?

Dear friends,

Chers amis,

I would like to know what is the best way of saying "relatives" in French. When I was at school and university several years ago, the teachers mentioned "Parents" ; is there another way...for the general term?

What is used in the context of a "genealogical tree"/family?

Merci de votre attention,

Susan McEwan, tutor of French.

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EducatorPermalink Reply by George Hunt on April 15, 2013 at 12:27am

I am not sure .Would "un apparenté" work?

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on April 15, 2013 at 6:47am

"les parents", "la famille" aussi

but in the context of a genealogical tree,

we use "les ancêtres" for parents, grandparents, and all relatives born before someone, and "les descendants" for children, grandchildren and all children born before someone, and "un collatéral - des collatéraux" for uncle, cousins and all people in another branch of the tree. (and then you can mix "les descendants des collatéraux" = children and grandchildren of your cousin)

in the context of family, "apparenté" is more commonly used as adjective, not as a noun. It could be used as a noun but rather in a technical scientist document or in a literary book.