Spanish Adjectives to Describe a Person: Your Simple Guide

Key takeaways:

• Knowing a diverse range of Spanish adjectives to describe a person will make your sentences more vivid and help you to speak naturally and fluently.
• Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
• Adjectives usually follow the noun, but some can come before for emphasis or special meaning.

Knowing how to describe people is an essential part of any language. Whether you’re chatting to new friends, writing a character for a story, or just want to improve your language skills, adjectives allow you to paint vivid pictures, capturing someone’s appearance, personality, and even mood. 

Learning Spanish adjectives to describe a person is a great way to sound more fluent quickly. Once you’ve mastered the basic rules, you can start using them in everyday life.

Basic rules for using Spanish personality adjectives

There are a couple of basic Spanish grammar rules you need to know before you start sprinkling Spanish personality adjectives into your sentences. 

Gender and number agreement

In Spanish, adjectives must match the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun they describe.

Here’s an example using the adjective simpatico (nice): 

As you can see, the ending of the adjective changes depending on whether the noun you’re describing is male or female, singular or plural.

But, it wouldn’t be Spanish grammar without a few exceptions. Some adjectives, especially those ending in -e or a consonant, have the same form for masculine and feminine.

Example: Inteligente → Él es inteligente. Ella es inteligente.

Placement before or after the noun

So, where does the adjective to describe a person sit in the sentence? In Spanish, we generally place an adjective after the noun.

• Una persona amable. (A kind person.)
• Un amigo divertido. (A fun friend.)

However, just as above, there are some important exceptions. Some adjectives go before the noun to add emphasis or when used in certain fixed expressions.

• Una gran amiga. (A great friend.)
• Un viejo amigo. (An old friend.)

Examples in full sentences

Here are a few example sentences to help you fully understand where and how to use an adjective in a sentence.  

• Mi hermano es muy trabajador y responsable. (My brother is very hardworking and responsible.)
• Lucia es una persona honesta y generosa. (Lucie is an honest and generous person.)
• Tengo unos amigos divertidos que siempre me hacen reír. (I have some fun friends who always make me laugh.)
• Nuestros vecinos son muy amables y siempre nos ayudan. (Our neighbors are very kind and always help us.)
• Mi jefe es paciente pero también muy exigente. (My boss is patient but also very demanding.) 

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Common personality traits in Spanish

When learning to describe someone in Spanish, it helps to know some of the most common personality traits in Spanish. These adjectives let you talk about whether someone is kind, funny, or even a little stubborn. Below, see the most common positive, negative, and neutral personality traits to help you add depth to your communication. 

Positive personality traits in Spanish

Negative personality traits in Spanish

Neutral or context-dependent personality traits in Spanish

Describing someone’s appearance in Spanish

Being able to describe a person’s looks in Spanish is just as important as describing their personality. Whether you’re introducing someone, creating a character in a story, or describing someone, these words will help you talk about someone’s height, build, hair, eyes, and other features.

1. Height and build

• alto/a = tall 

Example: Mi primo es alto. (My cousin is tall.)

• bajo/a = short 

Example: La profesora es baja. (The teacher is short.)

• delgado/a = slim

Example: Ella es delgada y corre todos los días. (She is slim and runs every day.)

• gordo/a = overweight 

Example: El gato está gordo porque come demasiado. (The cat is overweight because it eats too much.)

• de complexión media = medium build

Example: El actor es de complexión media y tiene barba. (The actor is of medium build and has a beard.) 

2. Hair

• moreno/a = dark-haired

Example: Mi amigo es moreno y tiene la piel clara. (My friend is dark-haired and has fair skin.)

• rubio/a = blond

Example: La niña es rubia y tiene trenzas. (The girl is blonde and has braids.)

• pelirrojo/a = red-haired 

Example: El chico pelirrojo es mi primo. (The red-haired boy is my cousin.)

• canoso/a = gray-haired

Example: Mi abuelo es canoso y usa gafas. (My grandfather is gray-haired and wears glasses.)

• calvo/a = bald

Example: El señor calvo trabaja en la oficina. (The bald man works in the office.)

• pelo largo = long hair

Example: Ella tiene el pelo largo y ondulado. (She has long, wavy hair.)

• pelo corto = short hair

Example: Mi hermano lleva el pelo corto. (My brother has short hair.)

• pelo rizado = curly hair

Example: Mi prima tiene el pelo rizado y voluminoso. (My cousin has curly, voluminous hair.)

• pelo liso = straight hair

Example: Su hija tiene el pelo liso y muy brillante. (His daughter has straight, shiny hair.)

3. Eyes

• ojos azules = blue eyes

Example: El bebé tiene ojos azules como su madre. (The baby has blue eyes like his mother.)

• ojos verdes = green eyes

Example: La modelo tiene ojos verdes impresionantes. (The model has stunning green eyes.)

• ojos marrones = brown eyes

Example: Mi mejor amigo tiene ojos marrones. (My best friend has brown eyes.)

• ojos grandes = big eyes

Example: Ese niño tiene ojos grandes y curiosos. (That boy has big, curious eyes.)

• ojos pequeños = small eyes

Example: El anciano tiene ojos pequeños y brillantes. (The old man has small, bright eyes.)

4. Other features

• guapo/a = good looking

Example: El actor es muy guapo. (The actor is very good-looking.)

• atractivo/a = attractive

Example: Ella es atractiva y elegante. (She is attractive and elegant.)

• feo/a = unattractive 

Example: El edificio es feo pero funcional. (The building is unattractive but functional.)

• joven = young

Example: Mi primo es joven y lleno de energía. (My cousin is young and full of energy.)

• mayor = older

Example: Mi tía es mayor pero muy activa. (My aunt is older but very active.)

• de mediana edad = middle-aged

Example: El director es de mediana edad y muy experimentado. (The director is middle-aged and very experienced.)

Common expressions and phrases for describing people

These are informal, everyday phrases to describe a person in Spanish. You’ll hear native Spanish speakers use them, and by sprinkling them into Spanish conversations, you’ll sound more fluent and natural.

1. Ser buena onda (LatAm) or ser majo/a (Spain) — To be nice or cool

Example: Tu hermano es buena onda. (Your brother is cool.) Tu vecina es muy maja. (Your neighbor is really nice.)

2. Estar como un tren (Spain) — To be very attractive/hot 

Example: Ese actor está como un tren. (That actor is super attractive.)

3. Tener pinta de… — To look like / seem like

Example: Esa chica tiene pinta de cantante. (That girl looks like a singer.)

4. Ser un/a crack — To be awesome at something

Example: María es una crack en matemáticas. (María is amazing at math.)

5. Estar hecho/a un pincel — To be well-dressed / look sharp

Example: Ibas hecho un pincel en la boda. (You looked very sharp at the wedding.)

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Final thoughts

Describing a person in Spanish isn’t just about memorizing a few adjectives; it's about combining the right words and grammar rules to paint a vivid picture for your listener or reader. Once you’ve grasped gender and number agreement, adjective placement, and memorized common descriptive phrases, you can talk about anyone’s personality or appearance with confidence.

The best way to master Spanish adjectives to describe someone is to practice real situations, describe friends, family, celebrities, or TV characters. The more you use the words in context, the easier they will come to you in real life.