Physical appearance
Apariencia física
- Describe people's physical appearance
- Use adjectives to describe people.
- The agreement of adjectives
This lesson introduces physical appearance descriptions in Spanish, focusing on vocabulary for height, hair, and personal traits. It teaches adjective agreement and reflexive verb forms useful for everyday conversations about people. Exercises include dialogues, vocabulary grouping, verb conjugations, and a short story to practice and internalize the language points.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (16) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify these words into two categories related to physical description: one for adjectives indicating height and another for adjectives describing hair.
Altura
Tipo de cabello
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Feo
Ugly
2
Delgado
Slim
3
Rubio
Blond
4
Secarse
To dry oneself
5
Bajo
Short
Ejercicio 5: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- Describe the people and animals in the pictures. (Describe the people and animals in the pictures.)
- Describe the person sitting next to you. (Describe the person sitting next to you.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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La primera mujer tiene el pelo corto y rubio. The first woman has short blond hair. |
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Tiene el pelo negro y corto. Se afeita. He has short black hair. He shaves himself. |
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El perro es muy alto y delgado. The dog is very tall and thin. |
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Claire es alta y tiene el pelo largo y rubio. Claire is tall and has long blond hair. |
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Tiene el pelo corto y oscuro. He has short dark hair. |
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Él es muy alto. He is very tall. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Todas las mañanas, él ______ antes de ir al trabajo.
(Every morning, he ______ before going to work.)2. Mi amiga ______ el pelo rápido después de la ducha.
(My friend ______ her hair quickly after the shower.)3. Nosotros ______ solo los domingos porque preferimos descansar.
(We ______ only on Sundays because we prefer to rest.)4. ¿Tú ______ la cara con una toalla limpia cada día?
(Do you ______ your face with a clean towel every day?)Exercise 8: A morning at home
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Afeitarse - Shave
Presente
- yo me afeito
- tú te afeitas
- él/ella/usted se afeita
- nosotros/nosotras nos afeitamos
- vosotros/vosotras os afeitáis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes se afeitan
Secarse - Dry
Presente
- yo me seco
- tú te secas
- él/ella/usted se seca
- nosotros/nosotras nos secamos
- vosotros/vosotras os secáis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes se secan
Exercise 9: La concordancia de los adjetivos
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The agreement of adjectives
Show translation Show answerspelirrojo, alta, corto, castaños, larga, bajo, morena, guapa
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Afeitarse to shave Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) me afeito | I shave |
| (tú) te afeitas | You shave |
| (él/ella) se afeita | he/she shaves |
| (nosotros/nosotras) nos afeitamos | we shave |
| (vosotros/vosotras) os afeitáis | You shave |
| (ellos/ellas) se afeitan | they shave |
Secarse to dry oneself Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) me seco | I dry myself |
| (tú) te secas | You dry yourself |
| (él/ella) se seca | he/she dries himself/herself |
| (nosotros/nosotras) nos secamos | we dry ourselves |
| (vosotros/vosotras) os secáis | You dry yourselves |
| (ellos/ellas) se secan | they dry themselves |
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Learn to Describe Physical Appearance in Spanish
This lesson focuses on describing physical characteristics using essential Spanish vocabulary and adjective agreement. You will learn how to talk about height, hair types, colors, and basic physical traits. For example, words like alto (tall), bajo (short), casta o (brown hair), and rubio (blond) help you create accurate descriptions. The lesson also covers how adjectives match the gender and number of the person you describe, such as alto vs. alta and delgado vs. delgados.
Key Grammar Points
- Adjective Agreement: Adjectives change endings based on masculine/feminine and singular/plural forms.
- Verb Reflexive Forms: You will practice reflexive verbs related to grooming, like afeitarse (to shave) and secarse (to dry oneself).
Practical Dialogue Examples
Engage with dialogues describing new colleagues, family members, or people you see in everyday places like the gym. For instance, sentences like 1s , es un hombre alto y delgado (Yes, he is a tall and slim man) illustrate natural usage.
Vocabulary and Exercises
The lesson includes structured exercises such as sentence reordering, vocabulary classification, fill-in-the-blank verb conjugations, and a short story about a family morning routine to improve comprehension and reinforce learning.
Notes on Language Differences
Spanish adjectives typically follow the noun, unlike English where they usually precede it. Also, reflexive verbs like afeitarse are common in Spanish to indicate personal care actions, which in English often omit the reflexive form ("I shave" vs. me afeito). Useful phrases include Es alto y moreno (He is tall and dark-haired) and Ella se afeita todas las mañanas (She shaves every morning).
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