Physical appearance
Apparence physique
- Describe people's physical appearance
- Use adjectives to describe people.
- Adjectives: Agreement and position
Learn to describe physical appearance in French using essential adjectives and vocabulary like "grand" (tall), "mince" (slim), "la barbe" (beard), and "les cheveux blonds" (blond hair). This lesson covers adjective agreement and placement for accurate and natural descriptions.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (19) 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: those that describe hair types and those that describe general physical characteristics.
Types de cheveux
Caractéristiques physiques générales
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Grand
Tall
2
Gros
Large
3
Mettre
To put
4
Changer
To change
5
Blond
Blond
Exercice 5: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- 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:
|
La première femme a les cheveux blonds et courts. The first woman has short blond hair. |
|
Il a les cheveux noirs et courts. Il se rase. He has short black hair. He shaves himself. |
|
Le chien est très grand et mince. The dog is very tall and thin. |
|
Claire est grande et a de longs cheveux blonds. Claire is tall and has long blond hair. |
|
Il a les cheveux courts et foncés. He has short dark hair. |
|
Il est très grand. 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. Ce monsieur ressemble beaucoup à son frère, il __ un visage carré.
(This gentleman looks a lot like his brother, he __ a square face.)2. Je change de style parce que je __ mes cheveux blonds.
(I change my style because I __ my hair blonde.)3. Tu ressembles à ta mère, tu __ les mêmes yeux verts.
(You look like your mother, you __ the same green eyes.)4. Ils croient que la nouvelle coiffure __ leur personnalité.
(They believe that the new hairstyle __ their personality.)Exercise 8: Describe the appearance of a new colleague
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Rencontrer - Meet
Présent
- je rencontre
- tu rencontres
- il/elle rencontre
- nous rencontrons
- vous rencontrez
- ils/elles rencontrent
Ressembler - Look
Présent
- je ressemble
- tu ressembles
- il/elle ressemble
- nous ressemblons
- vous ressemblez
- ils/elles ressemblent
Changer - Change
Présent
- je change
- tu changes
- il/elle change
- nous changeons
- vous changez
- ils/elles changent
Avoir - Have
Présent
- j'ai
- tu as
- il/elle a
- nous avons
- vous avez
- ils/elles ont
Croire - Believe
Présent
- je crois
- tu crois
- il/elle croit
- nous croyons
- vous croyez
- ils/elles croient
Aller - Go
Présent
- je vais
- tu vas
- il/elle va
- nous allons
- vous allez
- ils/elles vont
Exercise 9: Adjectifs: Accord et place
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Adjectives: Agreement and position
Show translation Show answerspetits, grand, nouvelle, blond, rousses, vieilles, châtains, anciens
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Ressembler to resemble Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') ressemble | I resemble |
| (tu) ressembles | You resemble |
| (il/elle/on) ressemble | he/she/one resembles |
| (nous) ressemblons | we resemble |
| (vous) ressembles | You resemble |
| (ils/elles) ressemblent | they resemble |
Changer to change Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') change | I change |
| (tu) changes | You change |
| (il/elle/on) change | he/she/one changes |
| (nous) changeons | we change |
| (vous) changez | You change |
| (ils/elles) changent | they change |
Croire to believe Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') je crois / j’ | I believe |
| tu crois | you believe |
| (il/elle/on) il croit / elle croit / on croit | (he believes / she believes / one believes) |
| nous croyons | we believe |
| vous croyez | You believe |
| (ils/elles) ils croient / elles croient | (they) they believe |
Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!
Do you want to practice French today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.
Lesson Overview: Physical Appearance
This lesson introduces you to essential vocabulary and expressions to describe physical appearances in French. Focused on beginner (A1) level learners, the content covers adjectives describing physical traits, hair types, and general characteristics, with their correct agreement and placement in sentences.
Key Vocabulary: Adjectives and Descriptions
You will learn adjectives such as grand (tall), petit (short), mince (slim), gros (big), and hair types like blond (blond), châtain (brown), and rousse (red-haired). Facial hair terms such as la barbe (beard) and la moustache (mustache) are also introduced to enrich your descriptive ability.
Grammar Focus: Adjective Agreement and Placement
In French, adjectives must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they describe. For example, une nouvelle fille est jolie (a new girl is pretty) uses the feminine adjective jolie. Placement is generally after the noun, as in une barbe longue (a long beard), but some common adjectives can come before the noun.
Practice through Contextual Sentences
The lesson provides various example sentences to see adjectives in context, such as Elle a les cheveux blonds et longs (She has long blond hair) and Il est chauve et a une grosse moustache (He is bald and has a big mustache). These examples illustrate correct adjective form and sentence structure.
Interactive Activities Preview
Exercises include ordering sentences to form natural descriptions and dialogues to practice real-life conversations, like describing a colleague at a party or people in a family photo. You will apply vocabulary and grammar knowledge in context.
Additional Insight: Differences from English
Unlike English, French adjectives almost always agree in gender and number with the noun. Also, adjectives often come after the noun rather than before. For instance, where English says "long hair," French says cheveux longs. Words like grand translate to "tall" but must be adjusted for gender, e.g., grande (feminine).
Useful Expressions to Remember
- avoir les cheveux... — to have ... hair (e.g., avoir les cheveux blonds)
- être + adjective — to be + adjective (e.g., être mince)
- porter — to wear (used with clothing or accessories, e.g., porter un chapeau)
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
