Describing People in French: Key Phrases and Vocabulary

French learners often find themselves wanting to describe people they see or know.

This skill is crucial for everyday conversations and can help you express yourself more fluently.

Let's learn some key phrases and vocabulary for describing people in French.

Essential Questions for Describing People

When you want to ask about someone's appearance in French, you can use these questions:

1. "Il/Elle est comment ?" - What is he/she like?
2. "À quoi ressemble-t-il/elle ?" - What does he/she look like?
3. "Peux-tu me décrire son apparence ?" - Can you describe his/her appearance to me?
4. "Comment le/la décrirais-tu ?" - How would you describe him/her?

Remember to adjust the subject and verb based on who you're talking to or about.

Vocabulary for Physical Descriptions

Height and Build

• Grand(e) - Tall
• Petit(e) - Short
• De taille moyenne - Average height
• Mince - Thin
• Corpulent(e) - Overweight
• Musclé(e) - Muscular

Examples:

• Elle est grande et mince. (She is tall and thin.)
• Il est de taille moyenne et musclé. (He is of average height and muscular.)
• Mon frère est petit et corpulent. (My brother is short and overweight.)
• Ma sœur est grande et athlétique. (My sister is tall and athletic.)
• Leur enfant est petit et mince. (Their child is short and thin.)

Hair

• Cheveux blonds/bruns/roux/noirs - Blonde/brown/red/black hair
• Cheveux courts/longs - Short/long hair
• Cheveux bouclés/frisés/raides - Curly/frizzy/straight hair
• Chauve - Bald

Examples:

• Il a les cheveux blonds et courts. (He has short blonde hair.)
• Elle a les cheveux longs et bouclés. (She has long curly hair.)
• Mon père est chauve. (My father is bald.)
• Sa fille a les cheveux roux et frisés. (His daughter has frizzy red hair.)
• Le professeur a les cheveux gris et courts. (The teacher has short gray hair.)

Eyes

• Yeux bleus/verts/marron/noirs - Blue/green/brown/black eyes
• Grands yeux - Big eyes
• Petits yeux - Small eyes

Examples:

• Elle a de grands yeux bleus. (She has big blue eyes.)
• Il a les yeux marron. (He has brown eyes.)
• Ma mère a de petits yeux verts. (My mother has small green eyes.)
• Son ami a les yeux noirs et expressifs. (His friend has expressive black eyes.)
• L'actrice a de grands yeux bleus captivants. (The actress has captivating big blue eyes.)

Personality Traits

While describing physical appearance is important, personality traits are equally crucial. Here are some common adjectives:

• Gentil(le) - Kind
• Intelligent(e) - Intelligent
• Drôle - Funny
• Sérieux/Sérieuse - Serious
• Timide - Shy
• Extraverti(e) - Outgoing

Examples:

• Il est très gentil et drôle. (He is very kind and funny.)
• Elle est intelligente et sérieuse. (She is intelligent and serious.)
• Mon ami est timide mais sympathique. (My friend is shy but nice.)
• Sa collègue est extravertie et dynamique. (Her colleague is outgoing and energetic.)
• Leur voisin est calme et réservé. (Their neighbor is calm and reserved.)

Putting It All Together

Now that we've covered various aspects of describing people, let's see how we can combine these elements:

"Marie est une femme de taille moyenne avec des cheveux bruns et longs. Elle a de grands yeux verts et un sourire chaleureux. Elle est très intelligente et extravertie."

(Marie is a woman of average height with long brown hair. She has big green eyes and a warm smile. She is very intelligent and outgoing.)

"Pierre est un homme grand et mince. Il a les cheveux noirs et courts, et des yeux marron. Il est sérieux mais aussi très gentil."

(Pierre is a tall, thin man. He has short black hair and brown eyes. He is serious but also very kind.)

Practice Makes Perfect

To improve your skills in describing people in French, try these exercises:

1. Describe yourself using the vocabulary we've learned.
2. Look at photos of people and practice describing them in French.
3. Ask a French-speaking friend to describe someone you both know, then compare your descriptions.

Learning to describe people effectively in French takes practice, but it's a valuable skill that will enhance your conversational abilities.