Character and personality
Carácter y personalidad
- Learn to describe the character of people.
- Talk about personalities.
- Relative superlatives: "El más, la más, los menos, ..."
This A1 lesson explores Spanish vocabulary describing character and personality using superlative forms such as "el más simpático" and "la menos tímida." Key adjectives include cariñoso (caring), tímido (shy), activo (active), and antipático (unfriendly) to help you describe people accurately and naturally.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (17) 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 the words into two groups according to whether they describe positive or negative personality traits.
Rasgos positivos de la personalidad
Rasgos negativos de la personalidad
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Sociable
Sociably
2
Tímido
Shy
3
Cerrado
Reserved
4
Abierto
Open
5
Mentiroso
Liar
Ejercicio 5: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- Describe y compara a las personas. (Describe and compare the people. )
- Describe tu propio carácter. (Describe your own character.)
- Describe a tus familiares y amigos. (Describe your family members and friends.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Juliette y Lukas son una pareja afectuosa. Juliette and Lukas are an affectionate couple. |
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Raúl es la persona más cerrada. Es introvertido. Raúl is the most closed person. He is introverted. |
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Caitlin no es deportista; es la persona menos activa. Caitlin is not sporty; she is the least active person. |
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Es la persona más perezosa. He is the most lazy person. |
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Parezco perezoso, pero soy activo. I seem lazy but I am active. |
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Puedo ser tímido si no conozco a las personas. I can be shy if I do not know the people. |
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Él no es honesto. He is not honest. |
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Ella es muy simpática pero no muy lista. She is very friendly but not very smart. |
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Son estudiantes inteligentes. They are intelligent students. |
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Son bastante tontos, pero no se lo diremos. 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. Él ___ muy simpático y siempre ayuda a sus amigos.
(He ___ very nice and always helps his friends.)2. ___ a María, ella es la más generosa del grupo.
(___ María, she is the most generous in the group.)3. Mis compañeros de trabajo ___ activos y motivados hoy.
(My coworkers ___ active and motivated today.)4. No ___ bien a ese colega, es el menos sociable de la oficina.
(I don’t ___ that colleague well, he is the least sociable in the office.)Exercise 8: Meeting a New Coworker
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Conocer - Conocer
Presente
- yo conozco
- tú conoces
- él/ella/usted conoce
- nosotros/nosotras conocemos
- vosotros/vosotras conocéis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes conocen
Parecer - Parecer
Presente
- yo parezco
- tú pareces
- él/ella/usted parece
- nosotros/nosotras parecemos
- vosotros/vosotras parecéis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes parecen
Ayudar - Ayudar
Presente
- yo ayudo
- tú ayudas
- él/ella/usted ayuda
- nosotros/nosotras ayudamos
- vosotros/vosotras ayudáis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes ayudan
Exercise 9: Los superlativos relativos: "El más, la más, los menos, ..."
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Relative superlatives: "El más, la más, los menos, ..."
Show translation Show answersmenos vagas, más antipático, la más activa, los más torpes, el más generoso, el más tranquilo, las menos tímidas
Grammar Share Copied!
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A1.28.2 Gramática
Los superlativos relativos: "El más, la más, los menos, ..."
Relative superlatives: "El más, la más, los menos, ..."
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Parecer to seem Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) parezco | I seem |
| (tú) pareces | You seem |
| (él/ella) parece | he/she seems |
| (nosotros/nosotras) parecemos | we seem |
| (vosotros/vosotras) parecéis | You seem |
| (ellos/ellas) parecen | they seem |
Conocer to meet Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) conozco | I meet |
| (tú) conoces | You meet |
| (él/ella) conoce | he/she meets |
| (nosotros/nosotras) conocemos | we know |
| (vosotros/vosotras) conocéis | You meet |
| (ellos/ellas) conocen | they meet |
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Character and Personality in Spanish: Lesson Overview
This lesson introduces you to vocabulary and expressions used to describe character and personality traits in Spanish, focusing on the use of relative superlatives such as el más, la más, los menos to compare people within a group. You will learn how to talk about qualities, both positive and negative, and express opinions about individuals in different social contexts like the workplace, parties, or talking about famous people.
Key Vocabulary: Personality Traits
It is important to recognize and classify personality adjectives which describe either positive or negative traits. For example:
- Positive traits: abierto (open), activo (active), cariñoso (affectionate), generoso (generous), simpático (nice), sincero (sincere), sociable (sociable)
- Negative traits: antipático (unfriendly), cerrado (closed), mentiroso (liar), torpe (clumsy), tímido (shy), vago (lazy)
Using Relative Superlatives
Relative superlatives are used to indicate the "most" or "least" of a quality in relation to a group. Example sentences you will find in the lesson include:
- Él es el más simpático de la oficina. (He is the nicest in the office.)
- María es la menos tímida de nuestra clase. (María is the least shy in our class.)
These structures let you compare and describe people effectively.
Useful Expressions and Verbs
This lesson also practices important verbs such as:
- conocer (to know, to be familiar with people or places)
- parecer (to seem, to appear)
For example:
- Yo conozco a muchos compañeros diferentes. (I know many different colleagues.)
- Juan parece un poco tímido. (Juan seems a bit shy.)
Contextual Dialogues and Practice
You will encounter dialogues about talking to coworkers, friends, or discussing famous people’s personalities. These help you practice forming sentences using vocabulary and superlatives naturally.
Differences Between English and Spanish in This Context
When describing personality traits, Spanish often uses gendered adjectives and articles (el más simpático for masculine, la más simpática for feminine), which English does not. Also, in Spanish, relative superlatives require the definite article before más or menos plus the adjective, a structure that English expresses simply as "the most" or "the least."
Examples of useful phrases include:
- ¿Quién es el más amable del equipo? - Who is the nicest in the team?
- Ella es la persona más cariñosa que conozco. - She is the most affectionate person I know.
- En mi grupo, Ana es la menos tímida. - In my group, Ana is the least shy.
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