Physical appearance
Apariencia física
- Describe people's physical appearance
- Use adjectives to describe people.
- The agreement of adjectives
Explore Spanish vocabulary to describe physical appearance, including adjectives for height like "alto" and "bajo," and hair types such as "castaño" and "rubio." Practice reflexive verbs like "afeitarse" and "secarse" in everyday 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: 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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Lesson Overview: Describing Physical Appearance in Spanish
This beginner-level lesson dives into the essential vocabulary and grammar needed to describe people's physical appearance in Spanish. Focusing on common adjectives and reflexive verbs related to grooming, it equips learners to talk about height, hair types, and personal traits using straightforward sentences.
Adjective Agreement and Essential Vocabulary
Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the people or objects they describe. In this lesson, you'll find adjectives commonly used for physical traits such as:
- Height: alto (tall), bajo/baja (short)
- Hair characteristics: castaño (brown-haired), rubio (blond), pelirrojo (red-haired), moreno (dark-haired), largo (long), corto (short)
- Body type and appearance: delgado (slim), guapo (handsome/pretty), elegante (elegant), simpático (friendly)
Using Reflexive Verbs for Daily Grooming
Understanding reflexive verbs is crucial when describing personal care routines. This lesson introduces verbs like afeitarse (to shave) and secarse (to dry oneself), including their present tense conjugations (e.g., "yo me afeito", "tú te secas"). Sentences illustrate how to describe daily habits naturally, such as "Todas las mañanas, él se afeita antes de ir al trabajo." (Every morning, he shaves before going to work.)
Practical Sentence Structures and Examples
The lesson includes useful sentence patterns and dialogues, allowing students to describe people in various contexts:
- Describing family members: "¿Cómo es tu hermano? Es alto y moreno." (What is your brother like? He is tall and dark-haired.)
- Talking about new colleagues or friends: "Ella es baja y tiene el pelo largo y negro." (She is short and has long black hair.)
- Casual conversations about appearances and clothing.
Differences Between English and Spanish Descriptions
In Spanish, adjectives typically follow nouns and must align in gender and number, unlike in English where adjective placement is fixed before nouns and lacks gender agreement. For example:
- "La mujer tiene el pelo corto y castaño." (The woman has short brown hair.) – notice adjectives "corto" and "castaño" follow "pelo".
- Reflexive verbs like afeitarse do not have exact one-word equivalents in English but are translated with pronouns ("to shave oneself").
Some useful phrases from the lesson include:
- "Es alto y moreno." – He is tall and dark-haired.
- "Se afeita la cara todas las mañanas." – He shaves his face every morning.
- "Tiene los ojos iguales y el pelo rubio." – They have the same eyes and blond hair.
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