When describing people, we can talk about their physical appearance using adjectives.
Height and Build
Deutsch
English
groß
tall
klein
short
schlank
slim
dick
fat
Hair
Deutsch
English
lockig
curly
glatt
straight
kurz
short
lang
long
blond
blonde
braun
brown
schwarz
black
rot
red
Age
young (jung), old (alt), teenage (Teenager)
Useful Phrases
She has got... (Sie hat...) — "She has got long dark hair."
He looks... (Er sieht aus wie...) — "He looks tall."
She seems... (Sie wirkt...) — "She seems friendly."
Describing People – Character
These adjectives describe a person's personality and character.
Deutsch
English
Deutsch
English
freundlich
friendly
lustig
funny
schüchtern
shy
selbstbewusst
confident
fleißig
hard-working
intelligent
intelligent
nett
kind
mutig
brave
Adjective Order – The Right Sequence
When using multiple adjectives, there is a specific order in English.
Order: Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Colour → Origin → Material
Opinion
Size
Age
Shape
Colour
Origin
Material
Noun
beautiful
small
old
round
blue
French
glass
vase
More examples:
"a lovely small Italian village"
"a big red brick house"
"beautiful long black hair"
Usually, we don't use all seven categories together. We use 1-3 adjectives maximum!
Describing Places
Location – Where something is
in the north/south/east/west of — im Norden/Süden/Osten/Westen von
near — in der Nähe von
between — zwischen
next to — neben
Characteristics – What it's like
modern / historic(al) — modern / historisch
crowded / quiet — überfüllt / ruhig
busy / peaceful — belebt / friedlich
beautiful / ugly — schön / hässlich
clean / dirty — sauber / schmutzig
Useful Phrases
It is located... (Es liegt...) — "It is located in the north of Germany."
It is known for... (Es ist bekannt für...) — "Paris is known for art and culture."
The city has... (Die Stadt hat...) — "The city has beautiful museums."
Example description: "Berlin is a large, modern city located in the north of Germany. It is known for its history and culture. The city has many interesting museums and historic buildings."
Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparative – Comparing two things
Add -er to short adjectives or use more before long adjectives.
Adjective
Comparative
Example
big
bigger
London is bigger than Munich.
interesting
more interesting
This museum is more interesting than that one.
good
better
Her English is better than mine.
Superlative – The most of something
Add -est to short adjectives or use most before long adjectives.
Adjective
Superlative
Example
big
biggest
The Eiffel Tower is the biggest attraction in Paris.
beautiful
most beautiful
This is the most beautiful park in the city.
good
best
This is the best restaurant in town.
Übungsaufgaben
❓ Complete: 'She has ___ hair.' (lockig)
❓ Which describes personality: shy, tall, or red?
❓ Comparative of 'good':
❓ Superlative of 'big':
❓ Order: big, old, a, car, German. Form a noun phrase: