Physical descriptions (AQA GCSE German): Revision Notes
Physical descriptions
How to ask about someone's appearance
When describing people in German, you'll often start with basic questions about their appearance and age. The most common question you'll encounter is "Wie sieht er/sie aus?" which means "What does he/she look like?" Another essential question is "Wie alt ist er/sie?" meaning "How old is he/she?"
These questions form the foundation for discussing physical characteristics, and you'll need to know how to answer them using appropriate vocabulary and grammar structures.
The phrase "Wie sieht er/sie aus?" literally translates to "How does he/she look out?" but functions exactly like the English "What does he/she look like?" This is one of the most frequently used questions when meeting new people or discussing someone's appearance.
Essential vocabulary for describing people
Understanding key descriptive words is crucial for talking about physical appearances. Building a solid vocabulary foundation will help you create natural-sounding descriptions and understand others when they describe people.
Here are the most important categories you need to know:
Age and size:
- jung (young) / alt (old)
- groß (tall) / klein (small/short)
- lang (long) / kurz (short)
- schlank (slim) / dick (fat)
Hair colours: When describing hair, you use "Ich habe..." (I have...) followed by the colour and "Haare" (hair):
- schwarze Haare (black hair)
- blonde Haare (blonde hair)
- braune Haare (brown hair)
- rote Haare (red hair)
- graue Haare (grey hair)
- hellbraune Haare (light brown hair)
Eye colours: For eyes, you also use "Ich habe..." followed by the colour and "Augen" (eyes):
- blaue Augen (blue eyes)
- grüne Augen (green eyes)
- braune Augen (brown eyes)
General appearance:
- sportlich (sporty)
- modern (modern/fashionable)
- ein rundes Gesicht (a round face)
Critical Grammar Point: Hair and eye colours always use the plural form in German - braune Haare (brown hairs), blaue Augen (blue eyes). Never use the singular forms when describing someone's features.
Grammar essentials - sein and haben
To describe people effectively, you must master two crucial verbs: sein (to be) and haben (to have). These verbs are used constantly when talking about physical characteristics and form the backbone of descriptive sentences.
Sein (to be) - present tense:
- ich bin (I am)
- du bist (you are)
- er/sie/es ist (he/she/it is)
- wir sind (we are)
- ihr seid (you are - plural)
- Sie sind (you are - formal)
- sie sind (they are)
Haben (to have) - present tense:
- ich habe (I have)
- du hast (you have)
- er/sie/es hat (he/she/it has)
- wir haben (we have)
- ihr habt (you have - plural)
- Sie haben (you have - formal)
- sie haben (they have)
Essential Rule: Use sein when describing what someone IS (tall, young, sporty), and haben when describing what someone HAS (blue eyes, long hair, a round face). This distinction is crucial for correct German sentence structure.
Worked Example: Using sein vs haben
Describing what someone IS (use sein):
- Er ist groß → He is tall
- Sie ist jung → She is young
- Ich bin sportlich → I am sporty
Describing what someone HAS (use haben):
- Er hat blaue Augen → He has blue eyes
- Sie hat lange Haare → She has long hair
- Ich habe ein rundes Gesicht → I have a round face
Making comparisons
Comparing people's physical features is a common part of descriptions. German follows similar patterns to English for making comparisons, but with some important differences that you need to master.
Basic comparative rule: For most adjectives, simply add -er to make comparisons:
- Er ist kleiner als ich (He is smaller than me)
Adjectives with umlaut changes: Some adjectives add an umlaut to their vowel before adding -er:
- jung → jünger (younger)
- alt → älter (older)
- groß → größer (bigger/taller)
- lang → länger (longer)
Common Mistake Alert: Don't forget the umlaut changes! These four adjectives (jung, alt, groß, lang) are among the most frequently used in descriptions, and forgetting their umlaut changes is a very common error that can make your German sound unnatural.
Worked Example: Forming Comparisons
Step 1: Start with the basic adjective
- groß (tall)
Step 2: Add umlaut if needed
- groß → größ- (add umlaut to 'o')
Step 3: Add -er ending
- größ- → größer
Step 4: Use in sentence with 'als' (than)
- "Mein Bruder ist größer als ich" (My brother is taller than me)
Example sentences and usage
Here are practical examples showing how to use this vocabulary and grammar in real situations. These demonstrate how to combine different descriptive elements naturally.
Worked Example: Age Descriptions
Simple age statements:
- "Ich bin sechzehn Jahre alt" (I am sixteen years old)
- "Sie ist fünfzehn Jahre alt, also drei Jahre jünger als ich" (She is fifteen years old, so three years younger than me)
Notice how the second example combines age with comparison using jünger als (younger than).
Worked Example: Physical Features
Individual characteristics:
- "Ich trage moderne Kleidung" (I wear modern/fashionable clothing)
- "Ich bin ziemlich sehr groß" (I am quite very tall)
- "Sie hat ein rundes Gesicht" (She has a round face)
Complete description combining multiple elements: "Meine Schwester Sofie ist fünfzehn Jahre alt, also drei Jahre jünger als ich. Sie sieht sportlich aus. Sie ist schlank und hat – wie ich – grüne Augen und lange braune Haare. Ich finde, sie trägt tolle Kleidung."
Translation: "My sister Sofie is fifteen years old, so three years younger than me. She looks sporty. She is slim and has – like me – green eyes and long brown hair. I think she wears great clothes."
Notice how natural descriptions flow from general (age) to specific (physical features) to personal opinion (clothing style). This creates a logical structure that sounds natural to German speakers.
Practice translation exercises
Test your understanding with these translation exercises. Try to complete them before checking the answers.
Translation Practice
German to English:
- Ich bin älter und größer als mein Bruder.
- Mein Vater ist ziemlich klein und hat dunkle braune Haare.
English to German: 3. His girlfriend is slim and wears modern clothes. 4. She has green eyes and is quite tall.
Answers:
- I am older and taller than my brother.
- My father is quite small and has dark brown hair.
- Seine Freundin ist schlank und trägt moderne Kleidung.
- Sie hat grüne Augen und ist ziemlich groß.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Use sein for describing what someone IS (tall, young, sporty) and haben for what they HAVE (blue eyes, long hair)
- Most comparative adjectives just add -er, but some common ones like jung, alt, groß, and lang also need an umlaut
- Start descriptions with age using "Ich bin [number] Jahre alt"
- Hair and eye colours always use the plural form (braune Haare, blaue Augen)
- Practice combining different descriptive elements to create full, natural-sounding descriptions of people