Describing People (Leaving Cert German): Revision Notes
Describing People
When learning to describe people in German, you'll need to master two essential verbs and build up your vocabulary of descriptive words. This skill is fundamental for conversations about family, friends, and meeting new people.
Essential verbs for descriptions
German uses two main verbs when describing people: haben (to have) and sein (to be). The verb haben is used for physical features that someone possesses, whilst sein describes characteristics or states of being.
Understanding when to use each verb is crucial. You'll use haben when talking about hair colour, eye colour, or physical features like beards or glasses. Meanwhile, sein is used for height, personality traits, and general characteristics.
Verb conjugations
Both verbs have irregular conjugations that you need to memorise:
| Pronoun | haben (to have) | sein (to be) |
|---|---|---|
| ich | habe | bin |
| du | hast | bist |
| er/sie/es | hat | ist |
Both haben and sein are irregular verbs with unique conjugation patterns. These forms must be memorised as they don't follow standard conjugation rules.
When describing family members or friends, you'll also need the possessive pronouns mein (my - for masculine and neuter nouns) and meine (my - for feminine nouns).
Example sentences:
- Ich habe braune Haare. (I have brown hair.)
- Du bist sehr groß. (You are very tall.)
- Mein Bruder hat blaue Augen. (My brother has blue eyes.)
Physical appearance
Height and build
When describing someone's height, use the verb sein with these key adjectives:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| groß | tall |
| klein | short |
| sehr | very |
| ziemlich | quite |
You can add intensifiers to make your descriptions more precise. The word sehr means "very" and ziemlich means "quite" or "rather".
Worked Example: Describing Height
Step 1: Choose the correct verb (sein for characteristics) Step 2: Add an intensifier if needed Step 3: Form the sentence
- Sie ist ziemlich klein. (She is quite short.)
- Mein Vater ist sehr groß. (My father is very tall.)
Hair descriptions
Hair descriptions in German use the verb haben followed by the hair colour or style. The word Haare (hair) is always plural and feminine, so use meine when talking about your own hair.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| blonde Haare | blonde hair |
| braune Haare | brown hair |
| schwarze Haare | black hair |
| graue Haare | grey hair |
| rote Haare | red hair |
| lange Haare | long hair |
| kurze Haare | short hair |
| lockige Haare | curly hair |
| glatte Haare | straight hair |
Example sentences:
- Meine Schwester hat lange, blonde Haare. (My sister has long, blonde hair.)
- Er hat kurze, schwarze Haare. (He has short, black hair.)
Eye colours
Eye descriptions also use haben with the plural feminine noun Augen (eyes):
| German | English |
|---|---|
| blaue Augen | blue eyes |
| braune Augen | brown eyes |
| grüne Augen | green eyes |
| graue Augen | grey eyes |
Example sentences:
- Ich habe grüne Augen. (I have green eyes.)
- Meine Mutter hat braune Augen. (My mother has brown eyes.)
Other facial features
For additional features like facial hair or accessories, you can use haben or the verb tragen (to wear):
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Bart | beard |
| der Schnurrbart | moustache |
| die Glatze | bald head |
| die Sommersprossen | freckles |
| die Brille | glasses |
The verb tragen is irregular in the present tense: ich trage, er/sie trägt. Use this verb specifically for things people wear, like glasses or clothing.
Example sentences:
- Mein Onkel hat einen langen Bart. (My uncle has a long beard.)
- Sie trägt eine neue Brille. (She wears new glasses.)
Personality descriptions
Describing personality requires the verb sein combined with various adjectives. These words help you explain what someone is like as a person:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| lustig | funny |
| nett | nice |
| freundlich | friendly |
| sympathisch | kind/likeable |
| ruhig | quiet |
| laut | loud |
| intelligent | intelligent |
| faul | lazy |
| fleißig | hardworking |
| sportlich | sporty |
| kreativ | creative |
| streng | strict |
Example sentences:
- Mein Lehrer ist sehr streng aber nett. (My teacher is very strict but nice.)
- Sie ist ziemlich lustig und sehr kreativ. (She is quite funny and very creative.)
Using connectives and intensifiers
To make your descriptions more detailed and natural, you can connect ideas using simple connectives and add intensity with adverbs. The word und (and) connects similar ideas, whilst aber (but) introduces contrasts. The negative nicht (not) can be used to say what someone is not like.
Example sentences:
- Er ist intelligent und fleißig. (He is intelligent and hardworking.)
- Meine Oma ist ruhig, aber sehr freundlich. (My granny is quiet, but very friendly.)
- Ich bin nicht besonders sportlich. (I am not particularly sporty.)
Making comparisons
When comparing people, German typically adds -er to the end of adjectives, similar to English. Some adjectives also add an umlaut in their comparative form:
Example sentences:
- Meine Mutter ist strenger als mein Vater. (My mother is stricter than my father.)
- Mein Bruder ist größer als ich. (My brother is taller than me.)
Worked Example: Natural Dialogue
Anna: Wie sieht deine neue Mitschülerin aus? (What does your new classmate look like?)
Ben: Sie hat lange, braune Haare und grüne Augen. Sie ist ziemlich groß und trägt oft eine Brille. (She has long, brown hair and green eyes. She's quite tall and often wears glasses.)
Anna: Ist sie nett? (Is she nice?)
Ben: Ja, sehr freundlich und intelligent, aber auch ziemlich ruhig. (Yes, very friendly and intelligent, but also quite quiet.)
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
Many students confuse when to use haben versus sein. Remember that haben is for things you possess (hair, eyes, beard), whilst sein is for characteristics you embody (tall, funny, kind).
Don't forget that Haare and Augen are plural, so use plural adjective endings. Also, remember the gender agreement with possessives: mein Vater (masculine) but meine Mutter (feminine).
Key Points to Remember:
- Use haben for physical features you possess (hair, eyes, beard)
- Use sein for characteristics and personality traits (height, funny, kind)
- Mein is for masculine/neuter nouns, meine is for feminine nouns
- Add sehr or ziemlich to intensify descriptions
- Connect ideas with und (and) or aber (but) for natural-sounding descriptions
- Both main verbs (haben and sein) are irregular and must be memorised