A rich, varied and appropriate vocabulary is essential if you want to upgrade your Italian, follow this page to learn How to Describe People in Italian.
These words are mainly adjectives so you need to agree with the noun.
Describing someone’s Appearance – Describe People in Italian
General appearance:
Bello/bella (good looking)
- un uomo bello
- una donna bella
Carino/carina (pretty/nice)
Brutto/brutta (ugly)
- un uomo brutto
- una donna brutta
Elegante (well-dressed)
- una donna elegante
- un uomo elegante
Adj ending in -e don’t change in masculine and feminine
Attraente (attractive)
- una ragazza attraente
- un ragazzo attraente
Adj ending in -e don’t change in masculine and feminine
HEIGHT
Alto/alta (tall)
- una ragazza alta
- un uomo alto
Basso/bassa (short)
Quanto sei alto? Sono alto un metro e settanta/1.70 cm (How tall are you? I’m 170 cm tall)
Use the verb “essere” to talk about height
BUILT:
Magro/magra (slim)
Grasso/grassa (overweight)
- una ragazza magra
- un uomo grasso
Muscoloso/muscolosa (muscular)
- una ragazzo muscoloso
Gracile(weak)
- una ragazza gracile
Adj ending in -e don’t change in masculine and feminine
HAIR
In Italian “capelli” it’s a plural word –> i capelli
When you add the adjective of the colour it must agree with the plural word “capelli”
You can also say capello when you refer to just one single hair if you for example find one grey hair on your head.
Capelli (hair)
COLOUR
- I capelli biondi
- I tuoi capelli sono neri (your hair is black)
Biondi (blonde)
Rossi (red)
Castani (brown)
Bianchi (white)
Neri (black)
Brizzolati (grey-haired)
Scuri (dark)
Chiari (light)
Capelli (hair)
LENGHT
- I capelli lisci
- I tuoi capelli sono ricci
Lisci (Straight)
Ricci (Curly)
Mossi (Wavy)
Capelli (hair)
LENGHT
The adjective bald does not refer to the hair but to the man or woman without hair:
- L’uomo calvo / gli uomini calvi
- La donna calva / le donne calve
SKIN TONES
Carnagione (skin tone)
Pelle chiara (Light Skin)
Pelle scura (Dark Skin)
Speaking about a person’s skin we can say:
- Un uomo con la pelle chiara / un uomo dalla pelle chiara
- Una donna con la pelle scura / una donna dalla pelle scura
You can use the preposition con as well as dalla.
AGE
Età (age)
Neonato (Newborn)
Bambino (child)
Giovane (young)
Adolescente (adolescent/teenager)
Adulto (adult)
Mezza età (middle age)
Anziano (elderly/old)
Sui 30/40/50 (on his/her 30/40/50)
When we don’t say the exact age of a person we can say:
- un uomo sui 40 anni
- una donna sulla trentina (circa 30 anni / about 30)
Describing someone’s Personality – Describe People in Italian
Carattere e personalità (personality)
Amichevole (friendly)
Scortese (unfriendly)
Gentile (kind)
Divertente (fun)
Intelligente (clever)
Timido (shy)
Pessimista/Ottimista (pessimist/optimist)
Pigro (lazy)
Vivace/Esuberante (exuberant)
Describing someone’s Feelings – Describe People in Italian
Sentimenti
Felice (happy)
Preoccupato (Worried)
Triste (Sad)
Annoiato (Bored)
Ansioso (Anxious)
Sicuro di sé (Self-confident)
Curioso (Curious)
Invidioso (Envious)
Geloso (Jealous)
Arrabbiato (Angry)
What’s next?
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free resources:
How to Order at the Bar in Italy
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