Physical descriptions (Edexcel GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
Physical descriptions
Basic vocabulary for describing people
When describing yourself or others in Spanish, you'll need key vocabulary for physical features and characteristics. These words form the foundation of personal descriptions and are essential for everyday conversations.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| alto/a | tall |
| bajo/a | small/short |
| pelirrojo/a | red-haired |
| fuerte | strong |
| la nariz | nose |
| el brazo | arm |
| la boca | mouth |
| la pierna | leg |
Notice how many descriptive adjectives in Spanish have different forms ending in -o (masculine) or -a (feminine). This pattern will be crucial for the grammar rules you'll learn later.
Hair descriptions
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el pelo largo | long hair |
| el pelo corto | short hair |
| el pelo rubio | blonde hair |
| el pelo marrón | brown hair |
| el pelo negro | black hair |
| el pelo rojo | red hair |
Eye colours
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| los ojos marrones | brown eyes |
| los ojos azules | blue eyes |
| los ojos grises | grey eyes |
| los ojos verdes | green eyes |
| las gafas | glasses |
Example sentences in context
- Soy alto/a - I am tall
- Tengo el pelo largo y rubio - I have long, blonde hair
- Mis hermanas llevan gafas - My sisters wear glasses
- Soy bastante fuerte y tengo el pelo corto - I am quite strong and I have short hair
Adjectival agreement
Adjectives in Spanish must agree with the nouns they describe. This means they change their endings to match both the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun.
Critical Grammar Rule: Every adjective in Spanish MUST change to match the noun it describes. This is different from English, where adjectives never change form. Forgetting this rule is one of the most common mistakes for English speakers learning Spanish.
Agreement rules
Adjectives ending in -o:
- Masculine singular: alto
- Feminine singular: alta
- Masculine plural: altos
- Feminine plural: altas
Adjectives ending in -e:
- Masculine singular: verde
- Feminine singular: verde
- Masculine plural: verdes
- Feminine plural: verdes
Adjectives ending in a consonant:
- Masculine singular: azul
- Feminine singular: azul
- Masculine plural: azules
- Feminine plural: azules
Worked Example: Adjective Agreement
Step 1: Identify the noun El chico alto (the tall boy) - "chico" is masculine singular
Step 2: Change to feminine La chica alta (the tall girl) - "chica" is feminine singular, so "alto" becomes "alta"
Step 3: Make it plural Los chicos altos (the tall boys) - masculine plural Las chicas altas (the tall girls) - feminine plural
Using the verb tener
Tener means "to have" and is essential for describing physical features. It's an irregular verb, so you need to memorise its forms.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | tengo | I have |
| tú | tienes | you have |
| él/ella/usted | tiene | he/she has, you (formal) have |
| nosotros | tenemos | we have |
| vosotros | tenéis | you (plural) have |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | tienen | they have, you (formal, plural) have |
Memorisation Tip: The verb tener is completely irregular in the present tense. The stem changes from "ten-" to "teng-", "tien-", etc. Practice these forms daily until they become automatic.
Example sentences with tener
- Tengo los ojos verdes - I have green eyes
- Mi hermano tiene el pelo negro - My brother has black hair
- ¿Tienes gafas? - Do you have glasses?
Asking about appearance
The key question for asking about someone's appearance is:
¿Cómo eres? - What are you like? / How are you?
You can respond with:
- Soy alto/a - I am tall
- Tengo el pelo rubio - I have blonde hair
- Llevo gafas - I wear glasses
Notice the difference between ser (permanent characteristics like height) and tener (things you possess like hair colour). Both are used in physical descriptions but in different contexts.
Reading comprehension tips
When tackling reading exercises about physical descriptions, these strategies will help you understand unfamiliar texts more effectively:
Reading Strategy Tips
- Look for cognates (words that look similar in English and Spanish)
- Scan the text for key descriptive words you recognise
- Use context clues - if you see pelirroja and don't know it means red-haired, look around the word for other hair colour vocabulary
- Pay attention to gender endings on adjectives to work out who is being described
Translation practice
Translation Exercise: Spanish to English
- Mi amiga es bastante alta y tiene los ojos azules.
- El chico pelirrojo lleva una camiseta verde.
English to Spanish:
- I am short and I have brown hair.
- My sisters have green eyes.
Answers:
- Spanish to English: 1. My friend is quite tall and has blue eyes. 2. The red-haired boy is wearing a green t-shirt.
- English to Spanish: 1. Soy bajo/a y tengo el pelo marrón. 2. Mis hermanas tienen los ojos verdes.
Key Points to Remember:
- Adjectives must agree - they change endings to match the gender and number of the noun they describe
- Tener is irregular - learn the conjugation: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen
- ¿Cómo eres? is the key question for asking about physical appearance
- Context clues help with unfamiliar vocabulary in reading exercises
- Practice both ser and tener - ser for permanent characteristics, tener for things you possess (like eye colour or hair)