Using Simple Adjectives to Describe a Person in French

In French, adjectives help us talk more about nouns. When we want to describe a person, using simple adjectives makes our descriptions clear and easy to understand. Let’s learn how to use them well!

Common Adjectives

Here are some easy adjectives you can use to describe people:

• Tall - grand
• Short - petit
• Friendly - sympathique
• Interesting - intéressant
• Young - jeune
• Old - vieux (for boys) / vieille (for girls)

Example Sentences:

1. Il est grand. (He is tall.)
2. Elle est petite. (She is short.)
3. Mon père est sympathique. (My father is friendly.)
4. Ma sœur est intéressante. (My sister is interesting.)
5. Ils sont jeunes. (They are young.)
6. Elle est vieille. (She is old.)

Adjective Agreement

In French, adjectives must match the noun they describe. This means they need to agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

Gender Example:

• Grand (masculine singular):
  • Un homme grand. (A tall man.)
• Grande (feminine singular):
  • Une femme grande. (A tall woman.)

Plural Example:

• Grands (masculine plural):
  • Des hommes grands. (Tall men.)
• Grandes (feminine plural):
  • Des femmes grandes. (Tall women.)

Practical Descriptions

When you describe someone, it's good to mention both their looks and their personality. For example:

• Mon frère est grand et sympathique. (My brother is tall and friendly.)
• Ma mère est petite et intéressante. (My mother is short and interesting.)

Vocabulary Integration

You can mix adjectives with words you already know. For example:

• Mon père et ma sœur jouent au football. Mon père est grand et ma sœur est petite.
  (My father and my sister play football. My father is tall and my sister is short.)

Try using these simple adjectives to grow your vocabulary. Before you know it, you’ll be able to describe people and other things in everyday conversations!