1.6: Description des personnes
- Page ID
- 157784
In this section, you will learn how to:
- Describe people's physical appearance and states of emotion
- Use French subject pronouns and conjugate the verb 'être'
- Ask people how they are doing
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.
On étudie !
| Pronoms sujets | Être |
|---|---|
| je (I) | suis (am) |
|
tu (you) (casual, informal) |
es (are) |
|
il (he), elle (she), on (one, we) |
est (is) |
| nous (we) | sommes (are) |
| vous (you) (formal singular or plural) | êtes (are) |
|
ils (they), elles (they, f.pl.) |
sont (are) |
Pour en savoir plus sur le verbe être et les pronoms sujets.
L’identité de genre : Le pronom iel
In French, the pronouns iel, iels are sometimes used to refer to gender-neutral or non-binary (NB) individuals. Since French is a Romance language, its linguistic structures use gender and number agreements with adjectives and past participles for instance, which can be tricky when using gender-neutral pronouns.
Les traits physiques
|
Français |
Anglais |
|---|---|
| beau, belle | handsome, beautiful |
| blond(e) | blond |
| brun(e) | dark-haired |
| fort(e) | strong (or hefty) |
| grand(e) | tall, big, large |
| jeune | young |
| laid(e) | ugly |
| mince | thin, slender |
| petit(e) | small, little, short |
| vieux, vieille | old, elderly |
Study the Quizlet vocabulary flashcards. Listen and repeat the French pronunciation.
Les traits du visage
| Français | Anglais |
|---|---|
| les cheveux courts | short hair |
| les cheveux longs | long hair |
| les yeux bleus, verts, bruns, noisette*, marron* | blue, green, dark brown, hazel, brown eyes |
| une barbe | a beard |
| une moustache | a moustache |
* In French, when a common noun is use as an adjective, like in the case of orange, marron or noisette it does not take an s for plural. Click here to read about other invariable adjectives of color. i.e.: Les chaussettes orange (orange socks). Les yeux marron (Brown eyes). Les yeux noisette (Hazel eyes).
Study the Quizlet vocabulary flashcards. Listen and repeat the French pronunciation.
Watch this video tutorial to practice describing people's physical traits: La description physique.
Les émotions
When someone asks how you are, you may want to say more than bien or ça va. You may want to tell them how you feel. When describing someone’s mood, use être or se sentir and the adjective must agree with the person’s gender.
How are Émilie and Juan feeling today?
- You can listen and practice their dialogue.
Juan : Comment vas-tu ? (How are you?)
Émilie : Je suis fatiguée. Et toi ? Comment tu te sens ? (I’m tired. And you? How do you feel?)
Juan : Moi, je suis nerveux parce que j’ai un examen de français aujourd’hui. (I’m nervous because I have a French exam today.)
You will learn how to use reflexive verbs like se sentir later. For now, you can stick to être.
Adjectifs d'émotion
Here are some adjectives you can use to describe how you feel:
| Masculin | Féminin | Traduction |
|---|---|---|
| content | contente | pleased |
| confus | confuse | confused |
| fatigué | fatiguée | tired |
| heureux | heureuse | happy |
| inquiet | inquiète | worried |
| pressé | pressée | rushed, in a hurry |
| surpris | surprise | surprised |
Study the Quizlet vocabulary flashcards. Listen and repeat the French pronunciation.
Practice identifying and pronouncing adjectives of emotion with this video: Adjectifs d'émotions, sentiments et humeurs.