Learning French GCSE can be daunting, but there are ways to make it easier. One of the best ways is to learn the adjectives used to describe people's appearances. In this blog post, we will explore the use of adjectives for describing people's appearances, and provide some tips to help you ace your French GCSE.
In French, adjectives play a crucial role in painting a vivid picture of someone's physical characteristics. However, it's important to understand where adjectives fit in a sentence to ensure accurate communication.
Before listing your tips below, add one last sentence that sums up your paragraph or offers a smooth transition to your listicle.
Tip #1 - adjectives generally follow the noun they describe
In French, adjectives generally follow the noun they describe, unlike in English where the order is reversed. This means that instead of saying "the tall man," you would say "l'homme grand." For example:
Il a les cheveux (noun) blonds (adjective).
Tip #2 - Using Gender and Plurality in Adjectives
Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This means that the adjectives will change depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural. For regular adjectives, add -e to an adjective when using it for a feminine noun, and add -s for a plural noun. For example :
Une fille intelligente / un garçon intelligent
Il est content / ils sont contents
Elle est amusante / elles sont amusantes
Tip #3 - Describing a feature including hair and eyes
When describing a feature including hair and eyes, the adjective agrees with the feature, not the person. For example:
Ma sœur a les yeux bleus. - My sister has blue eyes.
J’ai les yeux bleus/verts/gris/marron/noisette. – I have blue/green/brown/hazel eyes.
The French word for eyes, yeux, is masculine and plural, so bleus has an -s on the end
Tip #4 - Example to describe the style, length and colour of someone’s hair
Ma sœur a les cheveux blonds et raides. – My sister has straight, blond hair.
J’ai les cheveux noirs et longs. – I have long, black hair.
J’ai les cheveux roux et bouclés. – I have curly, ginger hair.
Mon ami a les cheveux mi-longs et ondulés. – My friend has medium length, wavy hair. (Higher vocabulary.)
J’ai les cheveux violets et courts. – I have short, purple hair.
Mon grand-père a les cheveux gris et courts. – My grandfather has short grey hair.
Tip #5 - Other vocabulary for describing people's appearances
Je suis grand(e)/petit(e)/de taille moyenne. – I am tall/short/medium height.
Je porte des lunettes. – I wear glasses.
Je suis gros(se)/mince. – I am fat/slim.
Il a une barbe. – He has a beard.
Il est beau/Elle est belle. – He/She is good-looking.
Tu es joli(e)/laid(e). – You are pretty/ugly.
Learn more about the French adjectives with GoFrench
Practice using these example sentences to describe different people's appearances with a native French speaker as your tutor, and gain confidence in expressing yourself in French. And to help improve your French GCSE vocabulary you'll get the personalised attention and guidance you need to start speaking French with confidence. Don't wait - sign up for GoFrench today and start your journey to fluency!
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