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I don't know how I can ask my question properly but suppose there are two girls and for me they look like each other so much..So I would like to ask one of them is that if they are relative ..so What is the natural way to ask that?

Imaginary conversation:

Me: Hi I always think that you and Beth look so alike.So do you have any kinship relation with her or any connection on blood with her ? ( I just made up the second sentence )

She : yeah we have...

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I would say the best fit is are you related?.

Related means 'belonging to the same family'. This can be rather broad. I am obviously related to my brother, but I am also related to my great great uncle's son on my mother's side.

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  • Then it should be Are you related to Beth? If I'm not wrong. – Maulik V♦ Nov 21 '14 at 12:50
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    You are wrong in this context. In the example sentence, you've already mentioned Beth, so it would be odd to do it again. This is fine: 'You and Beth look so alike. Are you related?'. You could be more explicit and say 'Are you related to each other?' but it's by no means necessary. 'Are you related to Beth?' would be fine if you hadn't previously mentioned her. – user8543 Nov 21 '14 at 13:14
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It is also not inappropriate to ask, in this scenario:

Are you (two) sisters?

Are you guys sisters?

or, more generally,

Are you two related somehow?

If they happen to be a mother and daughter, then the first and second sentence will usually flatter the mother. But don't use this on purpose to flatter the mother, as it can be too obvious. And, yes, the word guys can be used to refer to one or more females. Even gals use the word guys when talking about a group of gals. Of course they can also use guys to refer to a mixed group or a group of just boys. If it sounds confusing, remember context usually helps a lot.

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I'd use...

"Do you share any kinship"

But that's my way of asking. Let others come with their options.

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    This is valid, but a very formal, almost archaic way of putting it. – user8543 Nov 21 '14 at 13:20
  • No sure about the source but I had read it in recent years' article. It was about President Bush's kinship with other presidents. Something like, "The president does not share any kinship with ... " And I see no harm in using this even today when the message is clear. – Maulik V♦ Nov 21 '14 at 13:31
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    The problem with Do you share any kinship? is that people don't use it. You'll find citations for Are you related? in the BNC, COCA and GloWbE, but there are none for Do you share any kinship? – tunny Nov 21 '14 at 14:08
  • @Maulik V That is perfectly fine to say. It is just that it is not idiomatic in AmE or BrE or, I imagine, most other Es out there. – user6951 Nov 21 '14 at 19:25

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