DESCRIBING PEOPLE
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FRENCH VOCABULARY TESTING GUIDE
107 cards | 26 sub-topics | all 4 skills tested
INTRODUCTION
In this section, I am going to talk about general physical appearances as well as personality types.
As you learn French vocabulary, you will find this topic absolutely necessary if you want to be able to describe anyone you encounter or know already. Studying these descriptive words and adjectives will surely give you plenty of opportunities to use your French vocabulary every day.
And if you want to know why, well the reason is quite obvious. Let me put it this way: unless you live hidden in a cave as a hermit, with no human contact at all, you will see faces, many many of them in your lifetime. You will encounter all kinds of people, and deal with all kinds of personalities, ranging from super nice to downright crazy (stay away!).
If you live in a big city, you will be bombarded with all kinds of ads displaying people of all shapes, colors. And thus, you can use this word list to practice your French vocabulary every day in almost all situations.
For example, are you trying to describe an uncle or an aunt you find obnoxious or sometimes weird? Well, I've listed some colorful adjectives you can use just for that. Go down the list of personality types below and grab what you need. Is it a boy or girl you've always had a crush on? The French words you need to use to describe them are all listed below.
I tried my best to make this French vocabulary list as clear and well-organized as possible. I also included common categories of human traits. But of course, this list is not exhaustive; there are many other words to add to it. This current list offers you a very good start, nevertheless.
Let's study now study the French words and expressions used to describe people's appearances and personalities.
1. DESCRIBING PEOPLE'S APPEARANCE
1.1 Describing people's height

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

1. grand(-e)
Tall
Mon amie, Lucie, est très grande./ My friend Lucie is very tall.

2. de taille moyenne
Medium height
Je suis une fille de taille moyenne./ I am a medium-height girl.

3.petit(-e)
Short
Mon ami est un peu petit./ My friend is a little short.
1.2 Describing people's weight/size

4. maigre
Skinny
Le malade est maigre./ The patient is skinny.

5. mince
Thin; Slim
La plupart des mannequins sont minces./ Most models are slim.

6. de poids moyen
Medium weight
Jean est un homme de poids moyen./ Jean is a medium-weight man.

7. rondelet(-ette)
Chubby; Plump
Paul se trouve un peu rondelet./ Paul finds himself a little chubby.

8. gros(-osse)
Fat
Cet homme est petit et gros./ This man is short and fat.

9. en surpoids
Overweight
Il y a beaucoup d'enfants en surpoids dans notre région./ There are many overweight children in our region.

10. obèse
Obese
Le nombre d'enfants obèses dans ce pays est inquiétant./ The number of obese children in this country is alarming.
1.3 Describing people's skin color

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

11. (avoir) la peau claire/blanche
Fair-skinned
Christine a la peau claire./ Christine is fair-skinned.

12. bronzé(-e)
Tanned
Michel a le teint bronzé./ Michel has a tanned complexion

13. (avoir) la peau foncée/noire
Dark-skinned
Une personne à la peau noire./ A dark-skinned person.
1.4 Describing people's hair length

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

14. les cheveux courts
Short hair
Justine a les cheveux courts./ Justine has short hair.

15. les cheveux mi-longs
Medium-length hair
J'ai les cheveux mi-longs./ I have medium-length hair.

16. les cheveux longs
Long hair
Cette fille a les cheveux longs./ This girl has long hair.
1.5 Describing people's hairstyle

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

17.
les cheveux raides
Straight hair
J'ai les cheveux raides./ I have straight hair.

18.
les cheveux ondulés
Wavy hair
Tu as les cheveux ondulés./ You have wavy hair.

19.
les cheveux bouclés/frisés
Curly hair
Ben a de beaux cheveux bouclés./ Ben has nice curly hair.

20.
le chignon
Hair bun
Amandine a les cheveux en chignon./ Amandine's hair is pulled into a bun.

21.
la queue de cheval
Ponytail
Martha a les cheveux en queue de cheval./ Martha's hair is pulled into a ponytail.

22.
la natte
Pigtail
Les cheveux de Lucie sont tressés en nattes./ Lucie's hair is pullted into braids.

23.
la frange
Bangs
J'aime avoir une frange./ I like having.
1.6 Describing people's hair color

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

24.
les cheveux noirs
Black hair
Lina a les cheveux noirs./ Lina has black hair.

25.
les cheveux blonds
Blond hair
Tom a les cheveux blonds./ Tom has blond hair.
Tom est blond./ Tom has blond hair.

26.
les cheveux roux
Red hair
Christine a les cheveux roux./ Christine has red hair.
Christine est rousse./ Christine has red hair.

27.
les cheveux gris/blancs
Grey hair
Ce vieil homme a les cheveux blancs./ This old man has grey hair.
1.7 Describing the shape/size of people's eyes

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

28.
les petits yeux
Small eyes
Tu as de petits yeux./ You have small eyes.

29.
les grands yeux
Big eyes
Mon amie Bella a de grands yeux./ Bella, my friend, has big eyes.

30.
les yeux ronds
Round eyes
Un bébé aux yeux ronds./ A baby with round eyes.

31.
les yeux bridés
Slanted eyes
J'aime vos yeux bridés./ I like your slanted eyes.
1.8 Describing the color of people's eyes

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

32.
les yeux marron
Brown eyes
Vous avez des yeux marron./ You have brown eyes.

33.
les yeux bleus
Blue eyes
Liz a les yeux bleus./ Liz has blue eyes.

34.
les yeux verts
Green eyes
Vos jolis yeux verts me fascinent./ Your pretty green eyes fascinate me.

35.
les yeux ambre/ambrés
Amber eyes
Elle a les yeux ambre./ She has amber eyes.

36.
les yeux noisette
Hazel eyes
Elle a de magnifiques yeux noisette./ She has beautiful hazel eyes.

37.
les yeux gris
Grey/gray eyes
J'aime vos jolis yeux gris./ I like your pretty grey eyes.
1.9 Describing people's facial features

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

38.
joli(-e)
Pretty; Attractive
Une jolie dame./ A pretty lady.

39.
beau/bel, belle
Beautiful; Handsome
Harris est vraiment beau./ Harris is truly handsome.

40.
laid(-e)
Ugly
Il est sympa mais laid./ He is nice but ugly.

41.
moche
Ugly
Ce mec est vraiment moche./ This dude is really ugly.

42.
(avoir) une moustache
(wearing a) Moustache
Il a une moustache assez longue./ He wears quite a long moustache.

43.
(avoir) une barbe
(wearing a) Beard
J'ai une barbe sur cette photo./ I have a beard in this photo.

44.
des boutons
Pimples
Julie a des boutons au visage./ Julie has some pimples on her face.

45.
les rides (f)
Wrinkles
On a des rides quand on vieillit./ As we grow older, we get wrinkles.

46.
un oeil au beurre noir
Black eye
Je me suis fait un oeil au beurre noir à la bagarre./ I got a black eye during the fight.
1.10 Other features

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

47.
le grain de beauté
Mole
J'ai un grain de beauté sur l'épaule gauche./ I have a mole on the left shoulder.

48. le tatouage
Tattoo
Elle a un tatouage autour du nombril./ She has a tattoo around her navel.

49. une cicatrice
Scar
Cette blessure m'a laissé une vilaine cicatrice. /This injury left me an ugly scar.
2. DESCRIBING PERSONALITY TYPES
2.1 Funny

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

50. drôle
Funny
Je ne te trouve pas drôle./ I do not find you funny.

51. amusant(-e)
Amusing
Ton ami est très amusant./ Your friend is very amusing.

52. marrant(-e)
Hilarious
Marie est trop marrante./ Mary is too hilarious.
2.2 Dull

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

53. ennuyeux(-euse)
Dull; Boring
Ma nouvelle collègue est tellement ennuyeuse!/ My new colleague is so dull.

54. barbant(-e)
Boring (informal)
Qu'il est barbant, ce mec!/ What a boring guy!

55. chiant(-e)
Boring (very informal)
Ce mec est super chiant./ This dude is deadly boring.
2.3 Intelligent

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

56. intelligent(-e)
Intelligent; Clever
Elle a un faible pour les hommes intelligents./ She has a weakness for intelligent men.

57. brillant(-e)
Bright
Adèle est une fille brillante./ Adele is a bright girl.

58. doué(e)
Gifted
Alex est l'élève le plus doué de la classe./ Alex is the most gifted student in the class.
2.4 Stupid

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

59. stupide
Stupid
Il comprend tout; il n'est pas stupide./ He understands everything; he is not stupid.

60. bête
Silly
Tu es bête de penser de la sorte./ You are silly to think this way.

61. un(-e) idiot(-e)
Idiot (noun)
Je n'ai pas de doctorat mais je ne suis pas une idiote./ I don't have a ph.d but I am not an idiot.

62. bouché(-e)
Dumb; Thick
Tu es bouché ou quoi? Est-ce si difficile à comprendre?/ Are you dumb or what? Is it so hard to understand?
2.5 Friendly

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

63. gentil(-ille)
Friendly / kind
Elle est tellement gentille!/ She's such a friendly person!

64. sympa
Nice; Kind; Friendly
Je veux rencontrer une fille très sympa./ I want to meet a very nice girl.

65. sociable
Sociable
Tes voisins semblent très sociables!/ Your neighbors seem very sociable.

66. chaleureux(-euse)
Welcoming
Tom se montre chaleureux envers tout le monde./ Tom is welcoming towards everybody.
2.6 Unfriendly

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

67. méchant(-e)
Mean
Ne sois pas méchant avec les autres./ Don't be mean to others.

68. froid(-e)
Cold; Unfriendly
Elle est froide en public, mais je sais qu'elle est gentille. / She is cold in public but I know that she is nice.

69. distant(-e)
Distant; Aloof
Il a été distant pendant toute la soirée./ He has been aloof during the entire evening.

70. antipathique
Unlikable; Disagreeable
Ton air froid te rend antipathique./ Your cold attitude makes you look unlikable.
2.7 Hardworking

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

71. travailleur(-euse)
Hardworking
Luc est très travailleur./ Luke is very hardworking.

72. ambitieux(-euse)
Ambitious
Luc est un jeune homme ambitieux./ Luke is an ambitious young man.

73. appliqué(-e)
Diligent
Carole est très appliquée dans son travail./ Carole is very diligent in her work.

74. rigoureux(-euse)
Thorough; Meticulous
Julie est très rigoureuse dans tout ce qu'elle fait./ Carole is very thorough in everything she does.
2.8 Lazy

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

75. paresseux(-euse)
Lazy
Cet employé est paresseux./ This employee is lazy.

76. indolent(-e)
Indolent
Le patron trouve ce ouvrier quelque peu indolent./ The boss finds this worker rather lazy.

77. oisif(-ive)
Idle; Unoccupied
Le patron déteste le caractère oisif de cette employée./ The boss hates the idle behavior of this worker.
2.9 Cheerful

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

78. joyeux(-euse)
Cheerful
Marie est généralement joyeuse le matin./ Mary is generally cheerful in the morning.

79. optimiste
Optimistic; Positive
Je suis très optimiste./ I am very optimistic.

80. heureux(-euse)
Happy
Je suis heureuse au travail./ I am happy at work.
2.10 Moody

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

81. d'humeur sombre/changeante
Moody
Il est d'humeur sombre quand il a faim./ He is moody when he is hungry.

82. pessimiste
Pessimistic; Negative
Je ne suis pas pessimiste, juste réaliste./ I am not pessimistic, just realistic.

83. grincheux(-euse)
Grumpy
Elle est toujours grincheuse au réveil./ She is always grumpy in the morning.

84. malheureux(-euse)
Unhappy
Les personnes malheureuses ont besoin d'amour./ Unhappy people need love.

85. irritable
Irritable
Mon cousin irritable est impoli avec tout le monde./ My irritable cousin is rude with everyone.
2.11 Confident

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

86. confiant(e)
Confident
Elle est confiante dans ses choix./ She is confident in her choices.

87. extraverti(-e)
Outgoing; Extroverted
Paul est extraverti. Il n'a pas peur de parler à des étrangers./ Paul is outgoing. He's not afraid to talk to strangers.

88. sûr(-e)
Sure; Confident
Martine est sûre de ses forces./ Martine is sure of her strengths.
2.12 Shy

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

89. timide
Shy; Timid
Alain est un garçon timide./ Alain is a shy boy.

90. introverti(-e)
Introverted
Il est trop introverti pour jouer dans un théâtre./ He is too introverted to play in a theater.

91. réservé(-e)
Reserved; Timid
Jean est assez réservé en général./ John is quite reserved in general.
2.13 Honest

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

92. honnête
Honest
I am an honest man./ Je suis un homme honnête.

93. digne de confiance
Trustworthy
Nous recherchons des employés dignes de confiance./ We are looking for trustworthy employees.

94. sincère
Sincere
C'est une personne très sincère./ She is a very sincere person.

95. fiable
Reliable; Trustworthy
Andréa est quelqu'un de fiable./ Andréa is a reliable person.

96. franc (-che)
Frank; Direct; Honest
Elle est franche; elle dit ce qu'elle pense./ She is frank. She says what she means.
2.14 Deceitful

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

97. malhonnête
Deceitful; Dishonest
Vous êtes une personne malhonnête./ You are a dishonest person.

98. qui ment(-ent)
Lying
Les enfants qui mentent seront punis./ Lying children will be punished.

99. pas fiable
Unreliable
Ce mec n'est pas fiable./ This guy is unreliable.

100. pas digne de confiance
Untrustworthy
Ton associé n'est pas digne de confiance./ Your business partner is untrustworthy.
2.15 Humble

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

101. humble
Humble
Malgré sa célébrité, il reste humble./ Despite his fame, he remains humble.

102. modeste
Modest
Elle est très célèbre mais elle demeure modeste./ She is very famous but she remains modest.
2.16 Arrogant

FRENCH
ENGLISH
SENTENCE EXAMPLES TO PRACTICE

103. arrogant(-e)
Arrogant
Il est arrogant depuis qu'il a gagné au loto./ He is arrogant since he won the lotto.

104. prétentieux(-euse)
Pretentious
Cet homme prétentieux ne parle que de lui./ This pretentious man only talks about himself.

105. vaniteux(-euse)
Vain; Egotistical
Les personnes vaniteuses pensent qu'elles sont meilleures que les autres./ People who are vain think they are better than others.

106. orgueilleux(-euse)
Arrogant
Je pense que Tom est un peuorgueilleux./ I think that Tom is a little arrogant.

107. trop fier(-ière)
Too proud; Arrogant
Il est trop fier pour reconnaitre son erreur./ He is too proud to acknowledge his mistake.
I hope this French vocabulary list wil help you describe someone more easily. As always, practicing these words (i.e using them in actual sentences in writing or verbally) is key to your success. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions or comments. Merci et à bientôt!
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