Character and personality
Caractère et personnalité
- Learn to describe the character of people.
- Talk about personalities.
- The superlatives: "Le plus, Le moins," etc...
Explore French character descriptions using superlatives like « le plus » and « le moins » to compare traits such as gentil (kind), timide (shy), and courageux (brave) in real-life contexts.
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: Sort the following words into two categories according to whether they describe a positive or negative character trait of a person.
Traits de caractère positifs
Traits de caractère négatifs
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Menteur
Liar
2
Dynamique
Dynamic
3
Méchant
Mean
4
Connaître
To know
5
Généreux
Generous
Exercice 5: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Describe and compare the people. (Describe and compare the people. )
- Describe your own character. (Describe your own character.)
- Describe your family members and friends. (Describe your family members and friends.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Juliette et Lukas forment un couple affectueux. Juliette and Lukas are an affectionate couple. |
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Raúl est la personne la plus renfermée. Il est introverti. Raúl is the most closed person. He is introverted. |
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Caitlin n'est pas sportive ; elle est la personne la moins active. Caitlin is not sporty; she is the least active person. |
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Il est la personne la plus paresseuse. He is the most lazy person. |
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Je semble paresseux mais je suis actif. I seem lazy but I am active. |
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Je peux être timide si je ne connais pas les gens. I can be shy if I do not know the people. |
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Il n'est pas honnête. He is not honest. |
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Elle est très amicale mais pas très intelligente. She is very friendly but not very smart. |
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Ce sont des étudiants intelligents. They are intelligent students. |
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Ils sont plutôt bêtes, mais nous ne le leur dirons pas. They are rather dumb, but we will not tell them. |
| ... |
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. Je _____ bien mon collègue ; il est très amusant.
(I _____ my colleague well; he is very funny.)2. Elle _____ beaucoup de monde parce qu'elle est dynamique.
(She _____ a lot of people because she is dynamic.)3. Tu _____ très stressé aujourd'hui, qu’est-ce qui se passe ?
(You _____ very stressed today, what's going on?)4. Il _____ courageux, mais en réalité, il est un peu timide.
(He _____ brave, but actually, he is a bit shy.)Exercise 8: Describing personalities at work
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Connaître - Connaître
Présent
- je connais
- tu connais
- il/elle/on connaît
- nous connaissons
- vous connaissez
- ils/elles connaissent
Paraître - Paraître
Présent
- je parais
- tu parais
- il/elle/on paraît
- nous paraissons
- vous paraissez
- ils/elles paraissent
Paraître - Paraître
Futur
- je paraîtrai
- tu paraîtras
- il/elle/on paraîtra
- nous paraîtrons
- vous paraîtrez
- ils/elles paraîtront
Exercise 9: Les superlatifs: "Le plus, Le moins,etc..."
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The superlatives: "Le plus, Le moins," etc...
Show translation Show answersles moins, la moins, le plus, le moins, la plus
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A1.28.2 Grammaire
Les superlatifs: "Le plus, Le moins,etc..."
The superlatives: "Le plus, Le moins," etc...
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Connaître to know Share Copied!
Present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') je connais | I know |
| tu connais | you know |
| (il/elle/on) il connaît / elle connaît / on connaît | he knows / she knows / one knows |
| nous connaissons | we know |
| vous connaissez | You know |
| (ils/elles) ils connaissent / elles connaissent | they know |
Paraître to appear Share Copied!
Present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') je parais/j'apparais | I appear |
| tu parais | you appear |
| (il/elle/on) il paraît | he appears |
| nous paraissons | we appear |
| vous paraissez | You appear |
| (ils/elles) ils paraissent | they appear |
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Understanding Character and Personality in French
This lesson introduces you to describing people's character and personality traits using French vocabulary and grammar structures suitable for beginner (A1) learners. You will learn essential adjectives to describe personal qualities, how to form and use superlatives, and how to talk about people in everyday contexts.
Key Character Traits
The lesson distinguishes between positive and negative personality traits. For example, positive traits include words like le courageux (the courageous), gentil (kind), généreux (generous), intelligent (intelligent), and amusant (funny).
Negative traits include adjectives such as méchant (mean), paresseux (lazy), and timide (shy).
Superlative Forms: "Le plus", "Le moins"
You will study how to compare people using superlatives like le plus (the most) and le moins (the least), which are used to express extremities in personality traits. Examples include:
- "Mon frère est le plus gentil de la famille." (My brother is the kindest in the family.)
- "Elle est la moins timide de ses amies." (She is the least shy of her friends.)
- "Pierre est très drôle, c’est le plus amusant de la classe." (Pierre is very funny; he is the most amusing in the class.)
Useful Verbs and Their Conjugations
The verbs connaître (to know) and paraître (to appear/seem) are key to expressing knowledge about people's personality or how they seem to others. You will practice their present and future tense forms:
- Connaître: je connais, tu connais, il connaît, nous connaissons, vous connaissez, ils connaissent
- Paraître (present): je parais, tu parais, il paraît, nous paraissons, vous paraissez, ils paraissent
- Paraître (future): je paraîtrai, tu paraîtras, il paraîtra, nous paraîtrons, vous paraîtrez, ils paraîtront
Contextual Practice: Describing People at Work
You will encounter a short story describing colleagues with various personality traits, featuring verbs studied alongside superlative forms. This helps you relate vocabulary and grammar to everyday situations.
Dialogues and Speaking Practice
The lesson includes dialogues where you describe the personality of colleagues, friends, or guides, practicing both superlatives and positive/negative traits. For example:
- "Mon collègue Pierre est le plus gentil du bureau." (My colleague Pierre is the kindest in the office.)
- "Marie est la plus bavarde de notre équipe." (Marie is the most talkative in our team.)
Comparing French and English
Unlike English, French superlatives require the definite article le before plus or moins (e.g., le plus gentil). Also, many French adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, so feminine forms like la plus gentille may appear. The verbs connaître and paraître have no direct single English equivalents but are crucial for expressing familiarity and appearances.
Useful phrases:
- Connaître quelqu’un – To know someone personally (not just general knowledge)
- Paraître stressé – To appear stressed or seem stressed
- Le plus + adjective – The most + adjective (superlative)
- Le moins + adjective – The least + adjective
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