Lingo Lesson: 88 Spanish Adjectives to Describe a Person

Whether you are planning to visit Spain soon or you just want to learn a bit of Spanish for your personal development, you should start by learning simple Spanish words used in everyday conversations. For instance, you can start by learning how to use Spanish adjectives to describe a person. This article offers you 88 Spanish adjectives to describe a person.

4 Types of Adjectives in Spanish

Adjectives are words used to describe nouns and pronouns. In Spanish, they’re referred to as los adjetivos. They describe how something or someone is, including providing details about the quantity, quality, relation, time, and place.

In most cases, Spanish adjectives appear after the nouns they’re describing, but sometimes they can precede the nouns. Also, they support gender and numbers with the nouns they’re describing. Spanish adjectives can be classified into four main types: relational, descriptive, adverbial, and adjectives serving as nouns.

Please note that each type of Spanish adjective determines where it should be placed in a sentence and whether it can be placed in a comparative or superlative structure.

1. Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive Spanish adjectives describe qualities of things and people. They include physical adjectives like color, size, shape, etc. They can also be abstract adjectives like characteristics and state of being. It’s important to note that only descriptive Spanish adverbs can be placed in comparative and superlative structures.

2. Relational Adjectives

Relational Spanish adjectives allow you to classify the nouns they describe into particular groups and categories. Example:

una cuchara sopera – a relational adjective
(type of spoon: to eat soup)

una cuchara brillante – a descriptive adjective
(description of the spoon: shiny)

3. Adverbial Adjectives

This type of Spanish adjective means the same thing as an adverb: it doesn’t describe a noun but rather expresses concepts of time like actual, present, future, frequent, etc., or manner like probable, presunto, supuesto, seguro, etc. This type of adjective can’t be placed in comparative structures because it comes before the noun. For instance, you can’t say “esta ministra es mas actual que esa.”

4. Adjectives Acting as Nouns

These Spanish adjectives act as nouns in certain phrases, especially where they indicate definitive features. This means that the nouns can only be identified by adjectives. They are normally used along with articles.

It’s important to mention that a Spanish adjective can be used as either the subject or object of a sentence provided that it describes a noun.

In most cases, the noun attaches to the adjective, but the adjective can also act as the predicate (after the verb), especially when it’s describing a noun that is the subject of the sentence.

Adjectives that come after the verbs ser, estar, and parecer (verbos copulativos) are referred to as attributes (atributos). When they follow all other verbs, they’re referred to as adjetivos predicativos. These adjectives support the nouns they describe.

88 Spanish Adjectives to Describe a Person

Like in English, Spanish adjectives help to add color and describe nouns. If you are learning Spanish, you can practice the language with various adjectives that start with the letter ‘S’ to describe a person. Here are examples of Spanish adjectives that you can use to describe a person.

Spanish Adjectives to Describe a Person’s Physical Appearance

1. Sano: healthy
2. Sangriento: bloody
3. Débil: weak
4. Cansado: tired
5. Nuevo: new
6. Viejo: old
7. Jovan: young
8. Pesado: heavy
9. Triste: sad
10. Enfermo: sick
11. Fuerte: strong
12. Duro: hard
13. Lleno: full
14. Soltero: single
15. Casado: married
16. Caluroso: hot
17. Alta: tall
18. Baja: short
19. Delgada: thin
20. Gorda: fat
21. Guapa: good-looking
22. Feo: ugly
23. Azules: blue eyes
24. Marrones: brown eyes
25. Negros: black eyes
26. Verdes: green eyes
27. Grandes: big eyes
28. Pequenos: small eyes

Spanish Adjectives to Describe Someone’s Personality

Positive Personality

29. Sabelotodo: know-it-all
30. Sabio: wise
31. Abierto: open
32. Saleroso: charming
33. Rico: rich
34. Rápido: fast
35. Sabroso: delicious
36. Saludable: salutary
37. Delicioso: delicious
38. Correcto: correct
39. Caro: expensive
40. Bueno: good
41. Tibio: warm
42. Despierto: awake
43. Tranquilo: tranquil
44. Fácil: easy
45. Estupendo: marvelous
46. Limpio: clean
47. Salado: savory
48. Perfecto: perfect
49. Fabuloso: fabulous
50. Estupendo: marvelous
51. Alegre: cheerful
52. Amable: kind
53. Carinoso: affectionate
54. Empatica: empathic
55. Generoso/Generosa: generous
56. Inteligente: intelligent
57. Listo/lista: bright/clever
58. Optimista: optimistic
59. Majo/maja: nice/pleasant
60. Responsible: responsible
61. Sensible: sensitive
62. Simpatico/simpatica: nice/pleasant
63. Valiente: brave

Negative Personality

64. Antipatico: unpleasant
65. Celosa: jealous
66. Malo/mala: evil
67. Cobarde: cowardly
68. Egoista: selfish
69. Repugnante: disgusting
70. Ruidoso: Noisy
71. Complicado: complicated
72. Amargo: bitter
73. Ridículo: ridiculous
74. Difícil: difficult
75. Pobre: poor
76. Equivocado: wrong/incorrect
77. Malo: bad
78. Loco: crazy
79. Sucio: dirty
80. Injusto: unfair
81. Vacío: empty
82. Peligroso: dangerous
Neutral Personality
83. Sedante: sedative
84. Barato: cheap
85. Preocupado: worried/concerned
86. Frío: cold
87. Lento: slow
88. Justo: fair

Tips on How to Use Spanish Adjectives to Describe a Person

With the above list of Spanish adjectives, you can create as many sentences as you want to describe a person. The wide range of adjectives to describe a person will help you to express yourself artistically and plainly in Spanish. Here are useful tips on how you should use Spanish adjectives to describe a person.

1. Describe Someone’s Appearance Using Verbs

When you are describing a person in Spanish, it’s normal to offer your opinion about their overall appearance. For example, you can use verbs along with adjectives to make it come off as your opinion. Spanish verbs like hacer or parecer can be useful in this context because they mean ‘to seem’ or ‘to look’.

2. Emphasize the Person’s Qualities with Adverbs and More Adjectives

In Spanish, you can include adverbs or extra adjectives to underscore or moderate a person’s qualities that you’re describing. You can even use ‘a little’ (un poquito) as a way of softening the adjectives you’re using.

3. Differentiate Between Adjectives of Personality and Physical Appearance

As indicated above, the Spanish adjectives used to describe a person are divided into two categories: personality and physical appearance. Therefore, make sure you understand where each adjective applies effectively so that you don’t offend someone unknowingly.

4. Understand the Gender Difference

The Spanish adjective you are using to describe a person must agree with the noun you’re describing regarding numbers and gender. Therefore, make sure that the adjective you choose describes the correct gender. For instance, if you are describing a man, the adjectives you choose should be masculine.

5. Hone Your Language Skills

You should practice your Spanish sentences before you use them in real-life situations to avoid embarrassment. Arm yourself with a wide variety of Spanish adjectives and make sure you know how to use them correctly in different sentences. The broader your Spanish vocabulary is the more fluid your speeches will be.

6. Know the Opposites

The best to learn Spanish adjectives is to understand the opposite of each adjective. That way, you can easily incorporate descriptive words into your speeches. You can find many lists of Spanish adjectives with opposite pairs. Some even offer both masculine and feminine adjectives.