New here? This is lesson 95 of a free 238-lesson Spanish course.
Free Spanish CourseLesson 95 of 238
What do they look like? in Spanish
Megan is late, and Jory is waiting at the wrong door. She calls you because she cannot spot him, and you describe him.
You'll ask what Jory looks like, describe his height and hair, and say what he's wearing.
You'll also point out where he is and distinguish him from a wool coat that looks confusingly human.
By the end of this lesson
Describe a person's appearance, clothing, and location so someone can spot them.
- ¿Cómo es?What do they look like?
- Es altoHe's tall
- Tiene el pelo ___Their hair is ___
- Lleva ___They're wearing ___
- Es la persona de ___They're the one with ___
- Está junto a ___They're right by ___
Scene — the wrong door
Outside a community center in colonia El Laurel, Megan is hurrying toward the entrance while Jory waits by a different door.
Megan knows Jory is there, but she cannot see which person is him. Justin must identify Jory from Megan's clues.
Learn — spot a person
These chunks help you describe a person clearly enough for a friend to recognize them.
Learn the questions, then add height, hair, clothing, and location.
¿Cómo es?
What do they look like?
When to use it: Ask this when you need someone to describe a person's appearance.
Use es for a person's general appearance, not for asking their size.
Say it: KOH-moh ehs
Es alto
He's tall
When to use it: Describe a male person who is tall.
Alto changes to alta for a female person.
Tiene el pelo ___
Their hair is ___
When to use it: Describe someone's hair by adding a word such as rizado or largo.
Tiene means has, so learn this hair description as one useful piece.
Say it: TYEH-neh ehl PEH-loh
Lleva ___
They're wearing ___
When to use it: Use this to identify someone's clothing or another visible item.
Lleva can describe what a person is wearing or carrying.
Say it: YEH-bah
Es la persona de ___
They're the one with ___
When to use it: Use this to identify someone by a noticeable item or feature.
The phrase means the person with something; add a clear clue.
Está junto a ___
They're right by ___
When to use it: Use this to say where the person is standing.
Está describes a temporary location, and junto a means right by.
Story — find Jory
Megan cannot spot Jory in the crowd, so she calls Justin, who knows what Jory looks like and describes him to her.
The highlighted chunks describe his appearance, clothes, and location. Turn on Show English if you need it.
- Megan hurries toward the community center and checks her phone.
- MeganHola. Voy tarde.Hi. I'm running late.
JustinHola. ¿Dónde estás?Hi. Where are you?- Megan¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo es Jory?How are you? What does Jory look like?
- JustinBien. Es alto.Good. He's tall.
- Megan¿Tiene el pelo rizado?Does he have curly hair?
- JustinSí, tiene el pelo rizado.Yes, he has curly hair.
- Megan¿Lleva un suéter azul?Is he wearing a blue sweater?
- JustinLleva un suéter azul.He's wearing a blue sweater.
- Megan¿Es la persona de la mochila roja?Is he the person with the red backpack?
- JustinSí, es la persona de la mochila roja.Yes, he's the one with the red backpack.
- Jory¡Justin! Jory está junto a la puerta verde.Justin! Jory is right by the green door.
- JustinEstá junto a la puerta verde.He's right by the green door.
- MeganAhí está. Está aquí. El abrigo de lana no es Jory.There he is. He's here. The wool coat isn't Jory.
Practice — describe and find
Practice starts with recognition and matching, then moves into choosing details and building complete descriptions.
Read each situation carefully so the right description has only one good answer.
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What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Match the pairs
Spanish
Hola.Drop the English hereEs altoDrop the English hereEs la persona de ___Drop the English hereEstá aquíDrop the English hereEnglish
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
Their hair is ___
Tiene el pelo ____
What do you say?
What do you say?
You need to ask Megan what Jory looks like before trying to find him.
Pick the reply
Megan says:
Pick the reply
¿Lleva un suéter azul?
Is he wearing a blue sweater?
And you reply with:
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
Está aquí
What do you say?
What do you say?
Jory is standing right by the green door, and Megan cannot see him.
True or false?
True or false?
¿Cómo estás? asks about someone's appearance.
Build the line
Build the line
He's tall
Tap the words in order.
Say it — help Megan spot him
Now you're Justin, and Megan needs your help finding Jory near the community center.
When it's your turn, tap the microphone and say the highlighted description. Tap ▶ to hear the model; your recording stays on your device.
- MeganHola. ¿Cómo es Jory?Hi. What does Jory look like?
- Justin (you)Ask what he looks like.
Ask what he looks like.
¿Cómo es?
What do they look like?
0 of 4 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Spanish | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo es? | What do they look like? | |
| Es alto | He's tall | |
| Tiene el pelo ___ | Their hair is ___ | |
| Lleva ___ | They're wearing ___ | |
| Es la persona de ___ | They're the one with ___ | |
| Está junto a ___ | They're right by ___ |
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Want to keep these descriptions handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.
A quick card review helps you describe people clearly when plans get confusing.
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