Physical Descriptions

Physical descriptions are used to talk about how people look. In Spanish, adjectives are commonly used to describe height, body type, hair color, and other physical characteristics. These adjectives must agree with the gender and number of the person being described. Learning physical description vocabulary helps you talk about people and understand descriptions in everyday Spanish conversations.

Lesson 1: Describing Height

Spanish uses several common adjectives to describe height.

The word alto – tall describes someone who is tall, while bajo – short describes someone who is short.

Sample Sentences

Él es alto – He is tall
Ella es alta – She is tall
El hombre es bajo – The man is short
La mujer es baja – The woman is short
El jugador es alto – The player is tall

Lesson 2: Describing Body Type

Adjectives can also describe a person’s body type.

The word delgado – thin describes someone who is slim, while gordo – overweight describes someone who is heavier.

Sample Sentences

Él es delgado – He is thin
Ella es delgada – She is thin
El hombre es gordo – The man is overweight
La mujer es gorda – The woman is overweight
El atleta es delgado – The athlete is thin

Lesson 3: Describing Hair

Spanish adjectives are often used to describe hair color.

Common examples include rubio – blond, moreno – dark-haired, and castaño – brown-haired.

Sample Sentences

Él es rubio – He is blond
Ella es rubia – She is blond
El estudiante es moreno – The student has dark hair
La profesora es morena – The teacher has dark hair
La actriz es castaña – The actress has brown hair

Lesson 4: Describing Age and Appearance

Other adjectives can describe age and general appearance.

Words such as joven – young, viejo – old, guapo – handsome, and bonito – good-looking are commonly used.

Sample Sentences

El niño es joven – The boy is young
El abuelo es viejo – The grandfather is old
El actor es guapo – The actor is handsome
La actriz es guapa – The actress is beautiful
La bebé es bonita – The baby is cute

End of Module Review

In this module, you learned common Spanish adjectives used to describe physical appearance. You practiced words used for height, body type, hair color, and age. You also saw how these adjectives change to match the gender of the person being described. Learning physical descriptions will help you talk about people and understand descriptions in Spanish conversations.