Spanish Proficiency Exercises
Describe the physical characteristics of different people.


Simplified and native speakers:

• Simplified Example
• Carlos M.
• Mauro G.
• Deyisbeth H.
• Medardo C.
• Karla G.

.m4v (iPod) downloads
Click red links to download .m4v files for use in iPod:

• Simplified Example
• Carlos M.
• Mauro G.
• Deyisbeth H.
• Medardo C.
• Karla G.

Subscribe to iTunes podcast: beg07
Subscribe to podcast: beg07


Key vocabulary for this task


Example phrases for this task


Grammar points for this task

Simplified Example
"Voy a describir a mi familia. Mi madre es de estatura mediana ..."
Carlos M.
Puerto Rico, San Juan
"Empiezo describiendo a mi hermano. Es de, mide aproximadamente ..."
Mauro G.
Perú, Tarma, Junin
"Mi papá no es muy alto, término medio, es de tez blanca ..."
Deyisbeth H.
Venezuela, Caracas
"Bueno, mi hija tiene el pelo castaño claro, tiene ojos pardos ..."
Medardo C.
República Dominicana, Santo Domingo
"Mi hijo Médar es un niño de diez años de edad..."
Karla G.
México, San Luis Potosí, Xilitla
"Bueno, mi mejor amiga es una, es una muchacha bellísima..."
alto (adj)   tall
bajo (adj)   a short person
barba (f)   beard
bigote (m)   mustache
bonito (adj)   pretty
cabello (m)   hair
delgado (adj)   thin
estatura mediana (f)   average height
feo (adj)   ugly
fuerte (adj)   strong
gordito (adj)   chubby
guapo (adj)   handsome
güero (adj)   blond
mano (f)   hand
manta (f)   shawl
moreno (adj)   brown
nariz puntiaguda (f)   pointed nose
ojo (m)   eye
pelo (m)   hair
pelo lacio (m)   straight hair
pelo marrón (m)   dark hair
pelo rizo (m)   curly hair
peludo (adj)   hairy
pie (m)   foot
rubio (adj)   blond
tez blanca (f)   white skin
trenzas (f)   braids
Juan es un poco gordito. Juan is a little chubby.
María es más alta que Susana. María is taller than Susana.
Pepe tiene los ojos claros
y la tez blanca.
Pepe has light colored eyes
and white skin.
Mi tío es bastante peludo, alto y de barba abundante. My uncle is very hairy, tall, and with a full beard.
Mi prima es muy bonita, rubia y de nariz fina. My cousin is pretty, blonde, and has a thin nose.
Ser, linking verb

"Ser" is used as a linking verb, stating that something is equal to something else. In the sentence, "John is tall." we are saying that John is equal to a tall person. In Spanish we use the verb "ser" as a linking verb to say what something is. For example:

Yo soy americano. I am an American.
  Juan es alto. Juan is tall.
  Nosotros somos viejos. We are old.

Adjective Agreement

Adjectives agree with the noun they modify in number and gender. Except for adjectives that end in "e" (e.g., grande) generally adjectives end in "o" if they are masculine and "a" if they are feminine. Additionally we add an "s" to make them plural. For example:

Marcos es alto. Marcos is tall.
  María es alta. María is tall.
  Marcos y Juan son altos. Marcos and Juan are tall.