Practice
English practice: describing people
Sign in to saveA new neighbour has moved in. You can say more than She is nice: She is friendly, enjoys gardening, and often talks to people in the street.
Describe a person with clear, respectful English by choosing useful adjectives, adding a simple detail, and separating appearance from personality.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She is friendly and always says hello. /shi: iz frendli en o:lweiz sez helo/
The short answer
Use an adjective after be, then add a small detail. Say He is patient and explains things clearly, or She has curly hair and enjoys drawing.
My cousin is quiet, but she is very thoughtful.
Why it works: Quiet describes how she usually behaves; thoughtful describes her personality.
5 more examples
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Mina is friendly and always says hello to new students.
Friendly describes a warm way of behaving, and the second part shows what that looks like.
Not this:Mina is
shy, so she speaks quietly when she meets new people. What changes: Shy is different from unfriendly. It describes hesitation in social situations. -
My brother has curly black hair and wears glasses.
Have is useful for features such as hair, eyes, and a beard.
Not this:My brother
is talland wears glasses. What changes: Use be with an adjective such as tall, and have with a noun phrase such as curly black hair. -
Mr Patel is patient because he explains each step twice.
Patient describes someone who stays calm and gives people time.
Not this:Mr Patel is
carefulbecause he checks each step twice. What changes: Careful is about avoiding mistakes. Patient is about how a person treats a situation or another person. -
Aisha enjoys repairing old bicycles at weekends.
Enjoys plus an -ing form gives a natural way to describe an interest.
Not this:Aisha is a
keen cyclistand rides to work most days. What changes: A keen plus a noun can describe a strong interest; the added habit makes the description specific. -
Our neighbour is reliable; he arrives when he says he will.
Reliable means that people can depend on someone to do what they promised.
Not this:Our neighbour is
helpful; he carries heavy bags for older residents. What changes: Helpful means willing to give help. Reliable is about being dependable over time.
Read the full guide
First decide what you want to describe. Is it a visible feature, a personality trait, an interest, or a regular habit? Then make a complete sentence. Be is common with adjectives, have is useful for features such as hair, and likes or enjoys works well for interests.
Choose what you want to describe
A useful description has a purpose. You might describe what a person looks like, how they behave, what they enjoy, or what they usually do. Start with one category. This helps you choose words that fit.
Daniel is cheerful and enjoys telling stories.
Cheerful describes Daniel's usual manner. Enjoys telling stories describes an interest.
Which part of a person does has short hair describe?
It describes appearance, not personality.
Use be with personality and general appearance
Use be before many adjectives. Friendly, quiet, confident, patient, tall, and young can all follow be. An adjective tells the listener a quality of the person. Keep the sentence simple when you are learning a new word.
Leah is confident when she speaks to the group.
Confident follows is because it is an adjective.
Her grandfather is tall and very active.
Tall and active are both adjectives after is.
Use have for many visible features
Use have or has with noun phrases about features. You can say has long hair, has blue eyes, or has a beard. Do not use have before a simple adjective such as tall. Say He is tall, not He has tall.
The new coach has short grey hair.
Short grey hair is a noun phrase, so has is the natural verb.
Which sentence is correct: She has tall or She is tall?
Say She is tall because tall is an adjective.
Add an interest or regular habit
An interest can make a description more memorable. Use likes, loves, or enjoys before an -ing form, or use is a keen plus a noun. A regular habit can also show a personality trait without naming it directly.
Omar enjoys cooking for his friends.
Enjoys is followed by cooking, an -ing form.
Nina is a keen reader and visits the library every Saturday.
The habit supports the description instead of repeating another adjective.
Make your words respectful and precise
Use neutral, specific words when you describe a person. If you only met someone once, describe the situation rather than making a strong judgement. A concrete detail is often kinder and more accurate than a vague label.
She was quiet during the interview, but she answered every question carefully.
This describes what happened in one situation. It does not claim that she is always quiet.
How can you make He is nice more useful?
Add a detail: He is kind and remembers everyone's birthday.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose the part of the person you want to describe. Use be with an adjective, have with a feature, and enjoys or likes with an interest. Add one true detail so that your description is clear, useful, and respectful.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: describing people"
How do I describe a person's personality in English?
Use be plus an adjective such as friendly, patient, quiet, confident, helpful, or reliable. Add a small detail when you can, because an example shows the listener what you mean and keeps the description clear.
Mina is friendly and always says hello to new students.
When do I use be and have to describe people?
Use be with adjectives, as in He is tall or She is patient. Use have with many features expressed as noun phrases, as in He has short hair or She has blue eyes. The grammar depends on the word that follows.
Mina is shy, so she speaks quietly when she meets new people.
How can I describe a person's interests?
Use likes, loves, or enjoys before an -ing form: She enjoys painting, or He likes playing football. You can also say someone is a keen reader, cyclist, or gardener and then add a regular activity as a detail.
My brother has curly black hair and wears glasses.
Is quiet the same as shy?
No. Quiet can simply describe someone who does not speak much in a particular place or situation. Shy usually suggests that a person feels uncomfortable or hesitant with other people. Context helps you choose the more accurate word.
My brother is tall and wears glasses.
How can I describe someone respectfully?
Choose neutral words and describe what you actually know. A concrete observation, such as She spoke carefully during the meeting, is often more useful than a broad label. Avoid making a permanent judgement from one short interaction.
Mr Patel is patient because he explains each step twice.