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How to Describe People in English: Appearance and Personality

Published on November 17, 2020 | Updated on April 20, 2024

There are two ways to describe people in English. You can describe people’s appearance and personality.

You can describe a person’s personality by saying things like:

  • She is really nice
  • They are really cool friends
  • We are very friendly people

You can describe a person’s physical appearance by saying things like:

  • She is really tall
  • She has brown eyes
  • She has black curly hair.

Something that you have to keep in mind is that there are positive and negative things that you can say about someone’s personality and appearance so I strongly advise being cautious when using some of the words presented here.



Vocabulary to Describe Physical Appearance

Height

TallShe is very tall
ShortHe is short

Build

SkinnyShe is skinny
ThinI am thin
FatI am not fat
OverweightHe is overweight
SlimYou are slim

Hair

BlondeYou are blonde
Brown hairShe has brown hair
Red hairI have red hair
Black hairShe has black hair
Grey hairHe is grey hair

Eyes

Grey eyesI have grey eyes
Green eyesShe has green eyes
Blue eyesI have blue eyes
Brown eyesDoes she have brown eyes?
Dark eyesDoes he have dark eyes?

Type of Hair

Long hairDoes she have long hair?
Short hairDoes he have short hair?
Wavy hairShe has wavy hair
Curly hairI have curly hair
Straight hairWe have straight hair

Personality in English

Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.

The study of personality focuses on two broad areas: One is understanding individual differences in particular personality characteristics, such as sociability or irritability.

The other is understanding how the various parts of a person come together as a whole.

Positive Adjectives to Describe Personality

These are some examples of positive adjectives to describe personality:

FriendlyKindCharming
AdventurousHonest Hardworking 
PoliteLikableConsiderate
UnderstandingHonestSincere
Straight ForwardHelpful Patient
BrightReliable Enthusiastic
Hilarious Laid-backEasy-going

Negative Adjectives to Describe Personality in English

These are some examples of negative adjectives to describe personality in English

AgressiveBossyGrumpy
ImpulsivePickyTactless
ArrogantConsiderateMean
NastySneakyDogmatic
IntolerantJealousPossessive
LazyCarelessIrresponsible
GullibleMoodyPessimistic

Quantifiers about Personality in English

These are some quantifiers to use when talking about personality in English

veryquite
somewhatso
JustReally
Prettya little
Kind ofSort of

How to Talk about Personality in English

These are some phrases to describe your personality in English

I would say that I am …I would say that I am extroverted
I’m …I’m an easy-going person
I have …I have a good sense of humor
I describe myselfI describe myself as an optimistic person
I guess I’mI guess I’m moody

These are examples that include some of the positive and adjectives to describe personality in English

  1. He is shy, he never talks to anybody
  2. She is talkative,  she never stops talking
  3. I consider myself lazy, I don’t like to work hard
  4. He is always kind with new students
  5. My dad is optimistic, he thinks everything is going to be alright
  6. We are very bright students
  7. They are very funny, they always make friends laugh.
  8. She is quiet, She never says much
  9. He is  a very honest man, he will tell you the truth
  10. She is jealous, she doesn’t want others to win.
  11. I am very brave, I face dangerous and difficult situations.
  12. Mike is clever, he is good at learning things.
  13. He is an easy-going guy, definitely a guy who is easy to get a long with.
  14. James is so lucky, he bought a lottery and he won.
  15. Lucas is tidy, his desk is well organized.
  16. Maria is very irresponsible, she never does her homework.

Personality Conversation Questions

These are conversation questions that can help you talk about personality.

First Set – Personality Conversation Questions

  1. What makes you happy?
  2. What makes you angry?
  3. Are you happy with your personality?
  4. Are you shy? Do you make friends easily?
  5. Are you an outgoing person?
  6. How do you organize files in your computers?
  7. What kinds of people do you get along well with?
  8. can you think of ten verbs to describe personality?
  9. having a great personality makes you attractive?
  10. What characteristics does a  leader need to have?
  11. How would you describe a brave person?

Second Set – Personality Conversation Questions

  1. How are male and female personalities different?
  2. How has your personality changed over the years?
  3. What personality types are you attracted to?
  4. How would you describe your best friend?
  5. How would you describe your husband or wife?
  6. How would you describe your favorite teacher?
  7. Do you consider yourself an optimistic person?
  8. Do you consider yourself a negative person?
  9. Do you consider yourself a hardworking person?
  10. Do you consider yourself a confident person?
  11. How would you describe an easy-going person?

Third Set – Personality Conversation Questions

  1. Can you describe your personality?
  2. Do you consider yourself a lazy person?
  3. Are you a patient or an impatient person?
  4. How would you describe an introverted person?
  5. How would you describe an extrovert person?
  6. Do you consider yourself a jealous person?
  7. Would you like to be different?
  8. Are you happy with your personality?
  9. Do you think that you are a selfish person?
  10. Are you a determined person? Are you a stubborn person?
  11. How would you describe a courageous person?

Exercise: Personality Adjectives

Task#1.1

Match adjectives with their meanings


Manuel Campos

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English