100 Useful Spanish Adjectives to Describe a Person

When you’re describing someone, do you try to capture their full range of emotions, personality traits and physical characteristics?

With these Spanish adjectives, you can!

Read on for 100 awesome, unique, intriguing and specific Spanish vocab words that you can use to describe a person’s personality and physical attributes.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Using Ser or Estar

When describing people in Spanish, you will use either ser or estar.

It’s easy to get confused when trying to determine when to use these verbs. Both mean “to be,” but each refers to different states of being.

Use estar when:

• Talking about temporary states (like emotions)
• Talking about where something physically is

Use ser when:

• Describing traits of people or things
• Describing where someone is from (origin)
• Talking about relationships between people
• Describing a person’s occupation
• Talking about the time

Now that we’ve covered the different uses of ser and estar, let’s take a look at some Spanish adjectives to describe a person!

Spanish Adjectives to Describe Physical Appearance

1. Hermoso — Beautiful

Sus ojos son hermosos.
(His eyes are beautiful.)

2. Bonito — Pretty

Mi madre es bonita.
(My mother is pretty.)

3. Feo — Ugly

Ese es un bebé feo.
(That is an ugly baby.)

4. Ojo morado — Black eye (lit. Purple eye)

¡Él tiene un ojo morado!
(He has a black eye!)

5. Bajo — Short

La mujer es baja.
(The woman is short.)

6. Alto — Tall

Ese hombre es muy alto.
(That man is very tall.)

7. De altura media — Medium height

El tendero es de altura media.
(The shopkeeper is medium height.)

8. Viejo — Old

Las abuelas son viejas.
(The grandmothers are old.)

9. Joven — Young

Los tres hombres son muy jóvenes.
(The three men are very young.)

10. Calvo — Bald

Yo soy calvo.
(I am bald.)

11. Delgado — Slim

La niña es delgada.
(The girl is slim.)

12. Gordo — Fat/Chubby

Los chicos son gordos.
(The boys are chubby.)

13. Gordito — Chubby

El hombre es gordito.
(The man is chubby.)

14. Flaco — Skinny

¡Él está muy flaco!
(He is very skinny!)

15. Moreno — Brunette

Mis tías son morenas.
(My aunts are brunette.)

16. Rubio — Blond/e

Los tenderos son todos rubios.
(The shopkeepers are all blond.)

17. Pelirrojo — Redheaded

Ese chico pelirrojo es mi amigo.
(That redheaded boy is my friend.)

18. Guapo — Handsome

Su novio nuevo es guapo.
(Her new boyfriend is handsome.)

Spanish Adjectives to Describe Personality

19. Atrevido — Courageous

Mi hija solo tiene seis años, pero le gusta patinar, escalar y bucear. ¡Es muy atrevida!
(My daughter is only six years old, but she likes skating, climbing and diving. She’s very brave!)

20. Culto — Cultured

Me gusta pasar tiempo con mis amigos cultos porque me muestran cosas interesantes de otras partes del mundo.
(I like spending time with my cultured friends because they show me interesting things from other parts of the world.)

21. Digno — Dignified

La reina de Inglaterra era una mujer realmente digna.
(The Queen of England was a truly dignified woman.)

22. Encantador — Charming

Nos ha gustado conocer a tu novio. ¡Es un chico encantador!
(We liked meeting your boyfriend. He’s a charming guy!)

23. Fiel — Loyal

En los libros de Harry Potter, Ron y Hermione son amigos muy fieles.
(In the Harry Potter books, Ron and Hermione are very loyal friends.)

24. Gracioso — Gracious, Funny

Los dos hermanos son muy graciosos. Siempre nos hacen reír mucho.
(The two brothers are very funny. They always make us laugh a lot.)

25. Educado — Polite

La chica es muy educada.
(The girl is very polite.)

26. Considerado — Considerate

Sostener la puerta fue muy considerado.
(Holding the door was very considerate.)

27. Divertido — Funny

La señora es divertida.
(The lady is funny.)

28. Compasivo — Compassionate

El doctor es muy compasivo.
(The doctor is very compassionate.)

29. Alegre — Cheerful

La bailarina es alegre y bonita también.
(The dancer is cheerful and pretty, too.)

30. Agradable — Pleasant

Ese hombre parece una persona agradable.
(That man looks like he’s a pleasant person.)

31. Simpático — Friendly

La camarera es muy simpática.
(The waitress is very friendly.)

32. Listo — Clever

Es una chica muy lista. Siempre saca buenas notas.
(She’s a clever girl. She always gets good grades.)

33. Inteligente — Intelligent

El perro parece tan inteligente como su dueño.
(The dog looks as intelligent as its owner.)

34. Seguro — Self-confident

¡Se ve que él es muy seguro porque baila en público sin miedo!
(You can see that he is very confident because he dances in public without fear!)

35. Confiable — Trustworthy

Mi jefa es una mujer confiable.
(My boss is a trustworthy woman.)

36. Leal — Loyal

Parece leal.
(He seems loyal.)

37. Sincero — Sincere

Confío en mis amigos porque son muy sinceros y nunca me mienten.
(I trust my friends because they are very sincere and they never lie to me.)

38. Tenaz — Tenacious

Son muy tenaces y por eso suelen tener éxito.
(They are very tenacious, and that’s why they tend to be successful.)

39. Honesto — Honest

El banquero es honesto.
(The banker is honest.)

40. Fuerte — Strong

Ella es fuerte.
(She is strong.)

41. Caprichoso — Capricious, whimsical, moody, fickle

Él es un poco caprichoso. A veces parece muy feliz, pero se pone triste muy rápido.
(He’s a little capricious. Sometimes he seems very happy, but he gets sad very quickly.)

42. Franco — Frank, outspoken

Es muy franco y siempre dice lo que piensa, pero a veces dice cosas ofensivas sin darse cuenta.
(He’s very frank and he always says what he’s thinking, but at times he says offensive things without realizing it.)

43. Hablador — Talkative

Mi madre es muy habladora. ¡Hace amigos por todas partes!
(My mom is very talkative. She makes friends everywhere!)

44. Humilde — Humble

A pesar de su inteligencia, su dinero y su éxito, es una mujer humilde.
(Despite her intelligence, money and success, she is a humble woman.)

45. Mimoso — Affectionate

La niña pequeña es muy mimosa y siempre quiere dar abrazos a su madre.
(The little girl is very affectionate and she always wants to hug her mother.)

46. Cariñoso — Affectionate

Su abrazo fue cariñoso.
(Her hug was affectionate.)

47. Orgulloso — Prideful, arrogant

Mi colega es tan orgulloso que nunca me pide ayuda.
(My coworker is so prideful that he never asks for my help.)

48. Extrovertido — Outgoing, extroverted

49. Reservado — Reserved

A ella no le gustan mucho las fiestas porque siempre ha sido reservada.
(The girl does not like parties very much because she has always been reserved.)

50. Sensible — Sensitive

Lloro cada vez que veo “Bambi” porque soy una persona muy sensible.
(I cry every time I watch “Bambi” because I’m a very sensitive person.)

51. Sensato —  Sensible, rational, prudent

Él no gana mucho dinero, pero ahorra mucho porque es muy sensato.
(He doesn’t make very much money, but he saves a lot because he is very sensible.)

52. Serio — Serious

Esa es una cara seria.
(That’s a serious face.)

53. Solemne — Solemn

El maestro es solemne.
(The teacher is solemn.)

54. Tímido — Shy

Parece tímida pero simplemente es callada.
(She seems shy, but she’s just quiet.)

55. Tranquilo — Calm

A él no le molesta nada. Siempre parece súper tranquilo.
(Nothing bothers him. He always seems super calm.)

56. Paciente — Patient

El doctor es muy paciente con los niños.
(The doctor is very patient with the kids.)

57. Cobarde — Cowardly

El león es grande y fuerte, pero también es muy cobarde.
(The lion is big and strong, but he’s also very cowardly.)

58. Ruidoso — Loud

La cantante era demasiado ruidosa.
(The singer was too loud.)

59. Crédulo — Gullible

Los personajes en las películas de terror son siempre muy crédulos.
(Characters in horror movies are always really gullible.)

60. Despistado — Scatterbrained, absentminded

Ella dice que hoy está cansada, pero la verdad es que es una persona despistada.
(She says that she is tired today, but the truth is that she is an absent-minded person.)

61. Egoísta — Selfish

La niña egoísta no comparte sus juguetes con su hermana.
(The selfish girl does not share her toys with her sister.)

62. Engañoso — Deceitful

Nunca volveré a confiar en un hombre tan engañoso.
(I will never trust such a deceitful man again.)

63. Exigente — Picky, demanding

Es muy difícil cenar con él. Es muy exigente y solo come hamburguesas y pizza.
(It’s very difficult to have dinner with him. He’s very picky and only eats hamburgers and pizza.)

64. Malcriado — Rude, naughty

Un estudiante malcriado puede estropear a toda la clase.
(One rude student can ruin the entire class.)

65. Mimado — Spoiled

La niña mimada se queja si sus padres no le compran juguetes caros.
(The spoiled girl complains if her parents don’t buy her expensive toys.)

66. Presumido — Smug

Es verdad que es guapo, ¡pero no tiene que ser tan presumido!
(It’s true that he’s handsome, but he doesn’t have to be so smug!)

67. Tacaño — Stingy

Él está siendo tacaño con el cheque.
(He’s being stingy with the check.)

68. Torpe — Clumsy

¡Qué torpe eres! ¡Has roto mi florero favorito!
(You’re so clumsy! You broke my favorite vase!)

69. Imprudente — Reckless

¡Ese hombre es imprudente en su motocicleta!
(That man is reckless on his motorcycle!)

70. Grosero — Rude

¡No debería ser tan grosero!
(He shouldn’t be so rude!)

71. Impaciente — Impatient

Es muy impaciente.
(He is very impatient.)

72. Inseguro — Insecure

Ella se siente insegura por sus grandes orejas.
(She feels insecure about her big ears.)

Spanish Adjectives to Describe Emotions

73. Feliz — Happy

¡Es un muchacho tan feliz!
(He’s such a happy boy!)

74. Tranquilo — Calm, relaxed

La madre está tranquila.
(The mother is calm.)

75. Sorprendido — Surprised

El niño parece sorprendido.
(The child looks surprised.)

76. Animado — Lively

Esa chica es muy animada.
(That girl is very lively.)

77. Enamorado — In love

Ella sonríe como alguien que está enamorado.
(She smiles like someone who is in love.)

78. Encantado — Delighted

Estoy encantada de conocerte.
(I’m delighted to meet you.)

79. Relajado — Relaxed 

Es un tipo tan relajado.
(He’s such a relaxed guy.)

80. Aliviado — Relieved

Ellos se sintieron aliviados después de que pasó la tormenta. 
(They felt relieved after the storm passed.)

81. Satisfecho — Satisfied 

Mi hermana tiene una expresión satisfecha.
(My sister has a satisfied expression.)

82. Emocionado — Excited

Mi perro está muy emocionado cuando llego a casa.
(My dog is so excited when I come home.)

83. Aburrido — Bored

Nosotros estamos muy aburridos en clase.
(We’re so bored in class.)

84. Confundido — Confused

Ella está confundida.
(She’s confused.)

85. Desinteresado — Disinterested

Él se ve desinteresado.
(He looks disinterested.)

86. Triste — Sad

Su hermana tiene una cara triste.
(Her sister has a sad face.)

87. Ansioso — Anxious

Los exámenes me ponen ansiosa.
(Tests make me anxious.)

88. Avergonzado — Ashamed

Me sentí avergonzado.
(I felt ashamed.)

89. Cansado — Tired 

Ella siempre se ve tan cansada.
(She always looks so tired.)

90. Preocupado — Worried

Estoy un poco preocupada.
(I’m a little worried.)

91. Inquieto — Restless

Me siento inquieto cuando hay una tormenta.
(I feel restless when there’s a storm.)

92. Frustrado — Frustrated 

Se ve muy frustrado.
(He looks so frustrated.)

93. Celoso — Jealous

Las chicas estaban celosas.
(The girls were jealous.)

94. Nervioso — Nervous 

¿Estás nervioso?
(Are you nervous?)

95. Agobiado — Overwhelmed 

Estoy agobiado por la cantidad de trabajo que tengo que hacer.
(I am overwhelmed at the amount of work I have to do.)

96. Deprimido — Depressed

Se sentía deprimido pero ahora tiene un buen doctor.
(He felt depressed but now he has a good doctor.)

97. Desesperado — Desperate

Estamos desesperadas por conseguir trabajo.
(We’re desperate to get jobs.)

98. Asustado — Frightened

Mírala a los ojos. Parece asustada.
(Look at her eyes. She seems frightened.)

99. Enojado — Angry

Su hijo se ve enojado.
(Her son looks angry.)

100. Furioso — Furious

Estaba furiosa conmigo.
(She was furious with me.)

A Quick Refresher on Spanish Adjective Use

When studying Spanish adjectives, it’s important to keep in mind a few key Spanish grammar concepts.

Gender and Spanish Adjectives

When describing people in Spanish using an adjective, you need to take their gender into account.

Spanish adjectives to describe a person often change with gender: When describing a male, end the word with –o and when describing a female, end the word with -a.

Of course, there are many exceptions. Some words, like ones that end in -e or -ista are the same whether you’re talking about a male or a female. Some adjectives that end in a consonant when male require an added -a when female—such as encantador and encantadora (charming).

Number and Spanish Adjectives

With few exceptions, adjectives must change when you’re talking about more than one person:

• If the word ends in a vowel, merely add an -s.
• If the word ends in a consonant, add an -es.
• When you’re talking about a mixed-gender group of people, default to using the male form of the adjective—even if there’s only one male in the group!

Spanish Adjective Placement

Typically, adjectives follow the nouns they modify. For example:

ojos verdes (green eyes)
vestido caro (expensive dress)
hipopótamos felices (happy hippopotamuses)

How to Practice Spanish Adjectives

A good way to practice these new adjectives so you can start describing people in Spanish is with flashcards. Here are a few flashcard apps that’ll help you practice:

• Cram: This is a basic app that lets you make your own flashcard decks and study them through various methods, including a variety of games to keep you motivated.
• FluentU: This app lets you create multimedia flashcards that incorporate text, images, audio and videos.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

  P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month)

   

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• Flashcard Deluxe: This app is more simplistic and lets you add text or sound to your flashcards. This one’s a good choice for anyone who’s looking for a minimalistic app that’s focused solely on flashcards.

  Each vocabulary word on this list is accompanied by an example sentence to give you a sense of how these words can be used. However, if you require more examples, there are many great internet references that can help you get a sense of native speakers’ word use:

• WordReference: Here, Spanish learners can ask native speakers and advanced learners about particular words and phrases.
• Forvo: If you’re unsure how to pronounce any of these words, Forvo can help. It’s a great crowd-sourced pronunciation guide for many different languages.
• Linguee: In addition to giving you a definition and translation, Linguee also provides side-by-side English and Spanish sentences that can help you get a sense for the context in which a word is used.

For even more information on how to use adjectives, check out our guides on Spanish adjectives and Spanish sentence order.

Now you have 100 powerful Spanish adjectives to help you describe just about anyone you come into contact with!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing…

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU.

Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

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