Décrire une personne means “to describe a person,” and it is one of the most useful things you can learn in French. You need it when talking about friends, family, coworkers, dates, teachers, neighbors, and that one guy at the bakery who always looks dramatically tired before 9 a.m.
In this guide, you’ll learn simple French words and phrases for physical appearance, personality, and a few easy grammar patterns that help you build natural sentences. The goal is not to sound like a dusty dictionary. The goal is to say real things that French speakers actually say.
By the end, you’ll be able to describe someone in basic, clear French without panicking halfway through the adjective.
If you want more support after this lesson, you can also try the French placement test or check your word bank with the French vocabulary test.
The Basic Pattern For Describing A Person
The easiest sentence pattern is:
Il/Elle est + adjective
Il/Elle a + noun
Use être for qualities and adjectives, and avoir for many physical features.
| Pattern | Meaning | French Example | English Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il est gentil. | He is nice. | Il est très gentil avec tout le monde. | He is very nice to everyone. | Use être with personality adjectives. |
| Elle est drôle. | She is funny. | Elle est drôle et intelligente. | She is funny and smart. | Adjectives often come after être. |
| Il a les yeux bleus. | He has blue eyes. | Il a les yeux bleus et les cheveux bruns. | He has blue eyes and brown hair. | French usually says the eyes, the hair, not “his eyes” here. |
| Elle a les cheveux longs. | She has long hair. | Elle a les cheveux longs et bouclés. | She has long curly hair. | Cheveux is always plural in normal use. |
That’s already enough to start building useful descriptions. Tiny grammar, big results. Lovely.
Essential French Words For Physical Appearance
Let’s start with the everyday basics: height, build, hair, eyes, and general appearance. These are the words you will use constantly.
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentence | Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| grand / grande | grahn / grahnd | tall | Mon frère est grand. | My brother is tall. | Add -e for feminine in writing: grande. |
| petit / petite | puh-tee / puh-teet | short, small | Elle est petite, mais très sportive. | She is short, but very athletic. | Can mean physically short or small. |
| mince | manss | slim | Il est mince et élégant. | He is slim and elegant. | Same form for masculine and feminine. |
| gros / grosse | groh / grohs | fat, big | Le chat est gros. | The cat is fat. | Be careful: for people, this can sound blunt or rude. |
| beau / bel / belle | boh / bel / bell | handsome, beautiful | Il est très beau. | He is very handsome. | Bel comes before a masculine singular word starting with a vowel sound. |
| joli / jolie | zho-lee | pretty, nice-looking | Elle est jolie aujourd’hui. | She looks pretty today. | Often softer and less dramatic than beau/belle. |
| jeune | zhuhn | young | Ils sont encore jeunes. | They are still young. | Same form for masculine and feminine. |
| vieux / vieille | vyuh / vee-ehy | old | Mon voisin est vieux, mais très actif. | My neighbor is old, but very active. | For objects, vieux can simply mean old; for people, tone matters. |
Two quick style notes: beau/belle is common and natural, but if you are describing someone you just met, sympathique, gentil, or élégant can sound less intense. Also, calling people gros/grosse is rarely your best social strategy.
How To Talk About Hair In French
Hair descriptions are extremely common in French, and they usually use avoir:
avoir les cheveux + adjective
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentence | Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| les cheveux | lay shuh-vuh | hair | Elle a les cheveux très longs. | She has very long hair. | Always plural in French. |
| blond / blonde | blohn / blond | blond | Il est blond. | He is blond. | You can also say Il a les cheveux blonds. |
| brun / brune | bruhn / broon | brown-haired, dark-haired | Elle est brune. | She is brunette. | Very common for hair color. |
| roux / rousse | roo / rooss | red-haired | Mon oncle est roux. | My uncle is red-haired. | Not the same as orange. |
| gris | gree | gray | Il a les cheveux gris. | He has gray hair. | Same spelling in many contexts. |
| chauve | shov | bald | Mon professeur est chauve. | My teacher is bald. | Neutral, but still direct. |
| longs | lohn | long | Elle a les cheveux longs. | She has long hair. | Plural agreement with cheveux. |
| courts | koor | short | Il a les cheveux courts. | He has short hair. | The final s is usually silent. |
| raides | red | straight | J’ai les cheveux raides. | I have straight hair. | Plural form because of cheveux. |
| bouclés | boo-klay | curly | Elle a les cheveux bouclés. | She has curly hair. | Also common: frisés for curly or frizzy depending on context. |
Useful pattern:
Elle a les cheveux bruns et bouclés. = She has brown, curly hair.
Notice the adjectives come after cheveux. French likes order. French also likes making learners earn it a little.
How To Talk About Eyes And Face
For eyes, French again uses avoir:
avoir les yeux + color/adjective
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentence | Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| les yeux bleus | lay zyuh bluh | blue eyes | Elle a les yeux bleus. | She has blue eyes. | There is a liaison in les yeux: it sounds like lay-zyeux. |
| les yeux verts | lay zyuh vehr | green eyes | Il a les yeux verts. | He has green eyes. | Final s in verts is silent. |
| les yeux marron | lay zyuh mah-rohn | brown eyes | J’ai les yeux marron. | I have brown eyes. | Marron often stays unchanged. |
| les yeux noirs | lay zyuh nwahr | dark eyes, black eyes | Elle a les yeux noirs. | She has dark eyes. | Common in descriptions, often meaning very dark eyes. |
| un nez | uhn nay | a nose | Il a un petit nez. | He has a small nose. | Nez has a silent final z. |
| un visage | uhn vee-zahzh | a face | Elle a un visage très expressif. | She has a very expressive face. | Useful in more descriptive sentences. |
| un sourire | uhn soo-reer | a smile | Il a un beau sourire. | He has a nice smile. | Very common and friendly compliment. |
| une barbe | ewn barb | a beard | Mon frère a une barbe. | My brother has a beard. | Feminine noun. |
| une moustache | ewn moos-tash | a moustache | Mon grand-père a une moustache. | My grandfather has a moustache. | Also feminine. |
Personality Words You Will Actually Use
Now for the fun part: describing what someone is like. This is where conversations become more interesting than “He has brown hair.” Fascinating, yes, but let’s aim a little higher.
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentence | Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gentil / gentille | zhahn-tee / zhahn-tee-yuh | kind, nice | Elle est très gentille avec les enfants. | She is very kind with children. | Very common everyday word. |
| sympathique | sam-pah-teek | nice, friendly | Ton collègue est sympathique. | Your coworker is friendly. | Often shortened in speech to sympa. |
| drôle | drohl | funny | Il est drôle, donc tout le monde l’aime bien. | He is funny, so everyone likes him. | Can also mean “strange” in some contexts. |
| intelligent / intelligente | an-tel-ee-zhahn / an-tel-ee-zhahnt | intelligent | Elle est intelligente et travailleuse. | She is intelligent and hardworking. | Classic useful adjective. |
| timide | tee-meed | shy | Il est timide au début. | He is shy at first. | Same form for masculine and feminine. |
| sociable | soh-syahbl | sociable, outgoing | Ma sœur est très sociable. | My sister is very outgoing. | Helpful opposite to timide. |
| calme | kalm | calm | Elle est calme même sous pression. | She is calm even under pressure. | Also useful for places and situations. |
| patient / patiente | pah-syahn / pah-syahnt | patient | Notre professeur est patient. | Our teacher is patient. | Good word for work and school contexts. |
| généreux / généreuse | zhay-nay-ruh / zhay-nay-ruhz | generous | Elle est très généreuse avec ses amis. | She is very generous with her friends. | Different masculine and feminine forms. |
| sérieux / sérieuse | say-ree-uh / say-ree-uhz | serious | Il est sérieux au travail. | He is serious at work. | Can be positive or neutral. |
| travailleur / travailleuse | trah-vyur / trah-vyuhz | hardworking | Elle est très travailleuse. | She is very hardworking. | More common in some contexts than in casual chat. |
| paresseux / paresseuse | pah-reh-suh / pah-reh-suhz | lazy | Il est intelligent, mais un peu paresseux. | He is intelligent, but a bit lazy. | Useful, but not exactly flattering. |
You can soften a description with words like assez (quite), un peu (a little), and très (very).
Elle est un peu timide. = She is a little shy.
Il est très sociable. = He is very outgoing.
Useful Phrases For Describing Someone Naturally
Here are natural sentence starters and description patterns that help you sound less robotic.
| French Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentence | Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il est grand. | eel eh grahn | He is tall. | Il est grand et sportif. | He is tall and athletic. | Very basic and useful. |
| Elle est petite. | ell eh puh-teet | She is short. | Elle est petite, mais très énergique. | She is short, but very energetic. | Petite agrees with a female subject. |
| Il a les cheveux courts. | eel ah lay shuh-vuh koor | He has short hair. | Il a les cheveux courts et noirs. | He has short black hair. | Common physical description. |
| Elle a les yeux verts. | ell ah lay zyuh vehr | She has green eyes. | Elle a les yeux verts et un beau sourire. | She has green eyes and a nice smile. | Good combination sentence. |
| Il est gentil. | eel eh zhahn-tee | He is kind. | Il est gentil avec tout le monde. | He is kind to everyone. | Perfect beginner adjective. |
| Elle est sympa. | ell eh sam-pah | She is nice. | Ma voisine est vraiment sympa. | My neighbor is really nice. | Sympa is casual and very common. |
| Il a l’air fatigué. | eel ah lair fah-tee-gay | He looks tired. | Il a l’air fatigué ce matin. | He looks tired this morning. | Avoir l’air = to look/seem. |
| Elle a l’air heureuse. | ell ah lair uh-ruhzz | She looks happy. | Elle a l’air heureuse aujourd’hui. | She looks happy today. | Very useful everyday structure. |
| Il porte des lunettes. | eel port day loo-net | He wears glasses. | Il porte des lunettes rondes. | He wears round glasses. | Porter is used for clothing and accessories. |
| Elle porte une robe noire. | ell port ewn rob nwahr | She is wearing a black dress. | Elle porte une robe noire très élégante. | She is wearing a very elegant black dress. | Good for temporary appearance too. |
| Il ressemble à son père. | eel ruh-sahmbl ah sohn pehr | He looks like his father. | Il ressemble beaucoup à son père. | He looks a lot like his father. | Ressembler à = to resemble. |
| Elle ressemble à sa mère. | ell ruh-sahmbl ah sah mehr | She looks like her mother. | Elle ressemble beaucoup à sa mère. | She looks a lot like her mother. | Very common family phrase. |
Grammar You Need: Adjective Agreement
French adjectives often change form depending on whether the person is masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Yes, the adjective wants paperwork.
Basic pattern:
| Masculine | Feminine | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| grand | grande | tall | Il est grand. / Elle est grande. | He is tall. / She is tall. |
| petit | petite | short, small | Il est petit. / Elle est petite. | He is short. / She is short. |
| gentil | gentille | kind | Il est gentil. / Elle est gentille. | He is kind. / She is kind. |
| intelligent | intelligente | intelligent | Il est intelligent. / Elle est intelligente. | He is intelligent. / She is intelligent. |
| sérieux | sérieuse | serious | Il est sérieux. / Elle est sérieuse. | He is serious. / She is serious. |
Some adjectives stay the same in masculine and feminine, like sympathique, timide, and jeune.
Examples:
- Il est timide. = He is shy.
- Elle est timide. = She is shy.
- Il est jeune. = He is young.
- Elle est jeune. = She is young.
Grammar You Need: Articles And Body Features
French often uses definite articles with body parts and features:
- les yeux = the eyes
- les cheveux = the hair
- la barbe = the beard
So you say:
- Il a les yeux bleus.
- Elle a les cheveux bruns.
Not:
- Il a ses yeux bleus for a basic description
- Elle a ses cheveux bruns for a basic description
French simply prefers the article here. Clean, normal, idiomatic.
How To Build Better Descriptions
Once you know a few adjectives, you can combine them to make fuller, more natural descriptions.
| French Pattern | Meaning | French Example | English Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il/Elle est + adjective + et + adjective | He/She is… and… | Elle est drôle et gentille. | She is funny and kind. | Simple and useful connector. |
| Il/Elle est + adjective, mais… | He/She is…, but… | Il est timide, mais très sympa. | He is shy, but very nice. | Good for nuance. |
| Il/Elle a + feature + et + feature | He/She has… and… | Elle a les yeux bleus et les cheveux blonds. | She has blue eyes and blond hair. | Classic appearance sentence. |
| Il/Elle a l’air + adjective | He/She looks… | Il a l’air fatigué aujourd’hui. | He looks tired today. | Useful for impressions. |
| On dirait + noun | He/She looks like… | On dirait un acteur. | He looks like an actor. | More conversational, slightly informal. |
Example Descriptions In Easy French
Here are a few short model descriptions you can copy and adapt.
Example 1
Mon ami Marc est grand et mince. Il a les cheveux bruns et les yeux marron. Il est très sympa et drôle.
My friend Marc is tall and slim. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He is very nice and funny.
Example 2
Ma sœur est petite. Elle a les cheveux longs et bouclés. Elle est intelligente, calme et un peu timide.
My sister is short. She has long curly hair. She is intelligent, calm, and a little shy.
Example 3
Mon professeur porte des lunettes. Il a une barbe et un grand sourire. Il est patient et sérieux, mais aussi très gentil.
My teacher wears glasses. He has a beard and a big smile. He is patient and serious, but also very kind.
Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes
| Mistake | Correct French | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Il est les yeux bleus. | Il a les yeux bleus. | Use avoir for eye color. |
| Elle est 25 ans. | Elle a 25 ans. | Age uses avoir in French. |
| Il a très gentil. | Il est très gentil. | Use être with personality adjectives. |
| Elle a cheveux longs. | Elle a les cheveux longs. | You need the article les. |
| Il est grande. | Il est grand. | Adjective must agree with masculine subject. |
| Elle est beau. | Elle est belle. | Use feminine form for a woman or girl. |
Quick Practice
Try these mini drills before moving on.
Translate Into French
- She is tall and friendly.
- He has blue eyes and short hair.
- My brother is funny but shy.
- My teacher wears glasses.
- She looks happy today.
Possible Answers
- Elle est grande et sympathique.
- Il a les yeux bleus et les cheveux courts.
- Mon frère est drôle mais timide.
- Mon professeur porte des lunettes.
- Elle a l’air heureuse aujourd’hui.
Fill In The Blank
- Elle _____ les cheveux blonds.
- Il _____ très gentil.
- Ma sœur est petite et _____.
- Il a les yeux _____.
- Mon ami _____ des lunettes.
Possible Answers
- a
- est
- drôle / sympathique / another adjective
- bleus / verts / marron
- porte
Quick Reference Summary
- Use être with adjectives: Il est gentil.
- Use avoir for many physical features: Elle a les yeux verts.
- Use porter for clothes, glasses, and accessories: Il porte des lunettes.
- Make adjectives agree: grand/grande, gentil/gentille.
- Use articles with body features: les cheveux, les yeux.
- Useful softeners: très, assez, un peu.
- Useful connectors: et, mais.
One Easy Template To Copy
If you need a simple formula, use this:
Il/Elle est + adjective. Il/Elle a + physical feature. Il/Elle est + personality adjective.
Example:
Elle est grande. Elle a les cheveux bruns et les yeux bleus. Elle est très gentille.
That one pattern alone will carry you through a shocking number of conversations.
Keep Practising Your French Descriptions
If you want to keep going, you can explore more French lessons on the Learn French page, review this guide again at describe a person in French, or learn some nicer ways to talk about people with how to give compliments in French.
Yak Takeaway: describing a person in French is mostly about mastering a few high-frequency patterns: être, avoir, and the right adjective forms. Learn those, and suddenly you can describe your best friend, your boss, your cousin, or the dramatic man with the tiny coffee cup like a pro.
