Describing Appearance

Why This Matters

Can you describe someone well enough that a French person would recognise them in a crowd? "She has long brown hair and green eyes." "He's tall with a beard." These phrases are useful in daily life — describing people to friends, reading character descriptions in French books, or giving directions.

🦝 Remy says: "In French, most appearance adjectives come AFTER the noun — unlike English. 'Les cheveux blonds' not 'blond hair.' Think of it as describing what you see first: the thing itself, then the colour. It's actually more logical!"

La Taille et la Carrure — Height and Build

| French | Pronunciation | English | Note | |

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| | grand / grande | [gron / grond] | tall / big | changes with gender | | petit / petite | [puh-tee / puh-teet] | short / small | changes with gender | | mince | [maNs] | slim | same for m/f | | fort / forte | [for / fort] | stocky / strong | changes with gender | | musclé / musclée | [moos-klay] | muscular | changes with gender |

Les Cheveux — Hair

| French | English | |

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| | les cheveux blonds | blonde hair | | les cheveux bruns | brown hair | | les cheveux noirs | black hair | | les cheveux roux | red / ginger hair | | les cheveux gris | grey hair | | les cheveux longs | long hair | | les cheveux courts | short hair | | les cheveux bouclés | curly hair | | les cheveux raides | straight hair | | chauve | bald |

Note: cheveux is always plural in French. You say les cheveux, never le cheveu to describe hair in general.

Les Yeux — Eyes

| French | English | |

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| | les yeux bleus | blue eyes | | les yeux verts | green eyes | | les yeux marron | brown eyes | | les yeux noisette | hazel eyes | | les yeux gris | grey eyes |

Yeux is the irregular plural of œil (eye) — always use les yeux when describing eye colour.

Marron is an exception: it never changes to agree with gender or number. Always marron, never marrons.

Other Useful Descriptors

| French | English | |

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| | une barbe | a beard | | une moustache | a moustache | | des lunettes | glasses | | jeune / âgé(e) | young / elderly | | beau / belle | handsome / beautiful |

Describing Someone — Full Sentences

Use the structure: Il/Elle est + [height/build] + avec + les cheveux [colour] + et les yeux [colour].

• Mon père est grand avec les cheveux gris et les yeux bleus. — My father is tall with grey hair and blue eyes.
• Ma sœur est petite et mince avec les cheveux noirs et bouclés. — My sister is short and slim with black curly hair.
• Il est chauve et il porte des lunettes. — He is bald and he wears glasses.

🦝 Remy says: "Remember: 'Il est grand' (He is tall) uses ÊTRE, but 'Il a les yeux verts' (He has green eyes) uses AVOIR. Height and build → ÊTRE. Features like eyes and hair → AVOIR. Two different verbs for two different types of description!"

📝 Exercise 1 — Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence correctly.

1. Elle a les cheveux ______ et courts. (blonde — feminine form)
2. Mon frère est ______ — il fait 1m90. (tall)
3. Il a les ______ verts. (eyes)
4. Ma cousine est ______ avec les cheveux roux. (slim)
5. Mon grand-père est ______ — il n'a plus de cheveux. (bald)

✅ Answers: 1. blonds  |  2. grand  |  3. yeux  |  4. mince  |  5. chauve

📝 Exercise 2 — Make a Sentence

1. Describe a woman: tall, long black hair, green eyes. → Elle est grande avec les cheveux noirs et longs et les yeux verts.

2. Describe a man: short, brown hair, glasses. → Il est petit avec les cheveux bruns et il porte des lunettes.

3. Describe yourself in two sentences. → Je suis [height]. J'ai les cheveux [colour] et les yeux [colour].

📝 Exercise 3 — Translate into French

1. She has blue eyes and short hair. → Elle a les yeux bleus et les cheveux courts.
2. My uncle is bald and has a beard. → Mon oncle est chauve et il a une barbe.
3. He is tall and muscular. → Il est grand et musclé.
4. She wears glasses. → Elle porte des lunettes.
5. They have brown eyes. → Ils ont les yeux marron.

🎯 Today's Challenge

Describe a celebrity or a character from a French film or show — or someone you know well. Write 4–5 sentences covering height, build, hair, and eyes. Try reading it aloud and see if a friend can guess who it is!

⭐ Key Takeaways

• Use ÊTRE for height and build: Elle est grande / mince.
• Use AVOIR for hair and eyes: Elle a les cheveux blonds / les yeux verts.
• Most adjectives follow the noun in French — les cheveux courts, not courts cheveux.