Comment est-elle ? What’s she like? Describing People in French
In this blog post we’ll look at vocabulary and expressions related to describing people in French. This post will go into more advanced vocabulary than our post on basic descriptions of people. First we’ll see some examples of things you might say about how you’ve met a friend. Then we’ll look at how to describe someone physically. After that we’ll learn how describe people’s personalities. Next we’ll see some vocabulary and expressions for talking about people you like, and people you don’t like so much. Finally we’ll see some ways to talk about people’s habits, talents, and interests. Ready?
Introducing Friends in French
Let’s start with phrases you can use to introduce people and say how you know each other.
- C’est mon ami(e).
This is my friend. - On travaille ensemble.
We work together. - On travaillait ensemble.
We used to work together.
- On va à l’école ensemble.
We go to school together. - On allait à l’école ensemble.
We went to school together. - Où vous êtes-vous rencontrés ?
Where did you meet each other? - On s’est rencontré à l’université/à une fête/dans un bar/dans un café.
We met at university/at a party/at a bar/at a coffee shop. - On a des ami(e)s en commun.
We have mutual friends. - On se connait depuis des années.
We’ve known each other for years. - On a grandi ensemble.
We grew up together. - On est voisins.
We’re neighbors.
Describing People Physically
If you’re telling someone about a friend, you may want to describe him or her. Let’s start with physical characteristics.
- Comment est-il/elle ?
What does he/she look like? - Il est grand/Elle est grande.
He’s/She’s tall. - Il est petit/Elle est petite.
He’s/She’s short. - Il est beau/Elle est belle.
He’s/She’s good looking. - Il/Elle est mince.
He’s/She’s thin. - Il est gros/Elle est grosse.
He’s/She’s fat. - Il/Elle est jeune.
He’s/She’s young. - Il est vieux/Elle est vieille.
He’s/She’s old. - Il/Elle est en forme.
He’s/She’s in shape. - Il/Elle n’est pas en forme.
He’s/She’s out of shape.
Describing People’s Hair
People have all sorts of different des coiffures/ coupes de cheveux hairstyles, so that’s a common way to describe people.
- Il/Elle a les cheveux courts.
He/She has short hair. - Il/Elle a les cheveux longs.
He/She has long hair. - Il/Elle a les cheveux lisses.
He/She has straight hair. - Il/Elle a les cheveux frisés.
He/She has curly hair. - Il/Elle a les cheveux blonds/noirs.
He/She has blond hair/black hair. - Il/Elle a les cheveux roux/bruns/gris.
He/She has red hair/brown hair/gray hair. - Elle a des tresses/des nattes.
She has braids. - Il est chauve.
He’s bald. - Il a une moustache/une barbe.
He has a mustache/beard.
Describing People’s Personalities
Sometimes we describe people we know by talking about their personality types.
- Quel type de personnalité a-t-il/elle ?
What kind of personality does he/she have? - Il/Elle est timide.
He’s/She’s shy. - Il/Elle est sociable.
He’s/She’s outgoing. - Il est sérieux/Elle est sérieuse.
He’s/She’s serious. - Il est anxieux/Elle est anxieuse.
He’s/She’s anxious. - Il/Elle est décontracté(e).
He’s/She’s relaxed/easy-going. - Il/Elle est toujours de bonne humeur.
He’s/She’s a happy person. - Il/Elle est une personne malheureuse.
He’s/She’s an unhappy person. - Il/Elle est très organisé(e).
He’s/She’s very organized. - Il/Elle est un/une optimiste.
He’s/She’s an optimist. - Il/Elle est un/une pessimiste.
He’s/She’s a pessimist.
Describing People in French Who You Like
If you like someone, les traits de personnalité positifs positive personality traits are probably something you would use to describe them.
- Il/Elle a une personnalité remarquable.
He/She has a great personality. - Je l’aime beaucoup.
I like him/her a lot. - C’est un bon ami/une bonne amie.
He/She is a good friend. - Il est très intéressant/Elle est très intéressante.
He’s/She’s very interesting. - Il/est très gai(e).
He’s/She’s very cheerful. - Il/Elle est toujours de bonne humeur.
He’s/She’s always in a good mood. - Il/Elle est très sympa.
He’s/She’s very friendly/nice. - Il est un ami fidèle/Elle est une amie fidèle.
He’s/She’s a loyal friend. - Elle est attentionnée/prévenante envers les autres.
She’s thoughtful of others. - Il/Elle est large d’esprit.
He’s/She’s open-minded. - Il/Elle est modeste.
He’s/She’s modest. - Il/Elle s’entend bien avec tout le monde.
He/She gets along with everyone.
Describing People in French Who You Don’t Like
On the other hand, if you don’t like someone, les traits de personnalité négatifs negative personality traits are what you’d use to describe them.
- Je ne l’aime pas.
I don’t like him/her. - Il/Elle m’énerve/m’agace.
He/She annoys me/gets on my nerves. - Il/Elle est toujours de mauvaise humeur.
He’s/She’s always in a bad mood. - Il/Elle est méchant(e)/n’est pas sympa.
He’s/She’s mean/unfriendly. - Il/Elle est têtu(e).
He’s/She’s stubborn. - Il/Elle a l’esprit étroit.
He’s/She’s closed-minded. - Il/Elle est ennuyeux/ennuyeuse.
He’s/She’s dull/boring. - Il/Elle est égoïste.
He’s/She’s selfish. - Il/Elle est arrogant(e).
He’s/She’s arrogant. - On ne peut pas lui faire confiance.
He’s/She’s not trustworthy. - Il manque d’égards.
He’s inconsiderate. - C’est un/une imbécile.
He’s/She’s a jerk!
Describing People’s Habits
We often describe people by talking about their les habitudes habits.
- Elle est toujours souriante. Elle ne sourit jamais.
She smiles all the time. She never smiles. - Il rit tout le temps. Il ne rit jamais.
He laughs all the time. He never laughs. - Elle travaille très dur.
She works very hard. - Il est paresseux.
He’s lazy. - Elle se plaint beaucoup.
She complains a lot. - Elle ne se plaint jamais.
She never complains. - Il ne veux jamais rien faire d’amusant.
He never wants to do anything fun. - Elle veut toujours faire quelque chose de passionnant.
She always wants to do something exciting. - Elle fait beaucoup d’exercice.
She works out a lot. - Il joue trop aux jeux vidéos.
He plays too many video games. - Il suit toujours les règles.
He always follows the rules. - Elle fait toujours ce qu’elle veut.
She does whatever she wants. - Elle sort beaucoup avec ses ami(e)s.
She goes out with her friends a lot. - Il aime rester à la maison.
He likes to stay home. - Elle pratique de nombreux sports.
She plays a lot of sports. - Il lit tout le temps.
He reads all the time. - Il organise des fêtes géniales.
He throws great parties. - Elle fait beaucoup pour ses ami(e)s.
She does a lot for her friends.
Describing People’s Talents and Interests
People have different les talents talents and les centres d’intérêts interests, and sometimes we describe people by saying what they’re good (or not so good!) at.
- Il/Elle est intelligent(e).
He’s/She’s smart/intelligent. - Il/Elle s’intéresse à l’histoire/aux langues/à l’art/au cinéma.
He’s/She’s interested in history/languages/art/movies. - Il/Elle écrit/cuisine/peint/chante très bien.
He/She writes/cooks/paints/sings very well. - Il/Elle a beaucoup de passe-temps.
He/She has a lot of hobbies. - Il/Elle adore les animaux.
He/She loves animals. - Il/Elle adore voyager.
He/She loves to travel. - Il/Elle aime passer du temps avec ses ami(e).
He/She loves to spend time with friends. - Il/Elle est bon/bonne au tennis.
He’s/She’s good at tennis. - Il/Elle est mauvaise au tennis.
He’s/She’s terrible at tennis. - Il est un musicien doué. Elle est une musicienne douée.
He’s/She’s gifted musician. - Il/Elle ne chante pas bien.
He/She can’t sing/dance well. - Il/Elle est très créatif/créative.
He’s/She’s very creative. - Il/Elle n’est pas très créatif/créative.
He’s/She’s not very creative. - Tu l’aimerais vraiment !
You would really like him/her!
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