Describing people in Italian involves using a variety of adjectives to convey physical appearance, personality traits, and other characteristics.

Knowing how to describe people in Italian is super useful! It helps you to express yourself clearly when discussing the appearance and personality of others in everyday conversations.  It is essential for effective communication in various social and professional settings.  Finally, it allows for better integration and interactions with Italian speakers.

Let’s explore together various ways to describe people in Italian.

Basic Physical Descriptions

When describing someone's physical appearance, it's helpful to know a variety of adjectives related to it.

Here are some common adjectives and phrases you can use.

Alto/a - Tall

Basso/a – Short

Di Media altezza – Average height

Magro/a – Skinny

Snello - Slender

Grasso/a – Fat

Robusto – Sturdy

Atletico – Athletic

Attraente – Attractive

Bello/a - Pretty/Handsome

Brutto/a - Not good-looking

Bellissimo/a - Beautiful/handsome

Carino/a – Cute

Vecchio/a - Old

Giovane – Young

When describing CAPELLI – HAIR you can use the adjectives below.

Biondo/a - Blonde

Moro/a – Brunette

Pelato/a - Bold

Capelli ricci – Curly hair

Capelli lisci – Straight hair

Corti – Short

Lunghi – Long

Mossi - Wavy

Here are some adjectives to describe OCCHI – EYES.

Blu – Blue

Marroni – Brown

Castani – Hazel

Grandi – Big

Scuri – Dark

Limpidi/Chiari - Light

Occhi azzurri - Blue eyes

Occhi verdi - Green eyes

If you would like to talk about other details, consider familiarizing yourself with the words below.

Pelle - Skin

Pelle chiara - Fair skin

Pelle scura - Dark skin

Pallido/a - Pale

Barba – Beard

Baffi – Moustache

Tatuaggio - Tattoo

Ragazzo - Boy

Ragazza - Girl

Uomo - Man

Donna - Woman

Amico/a - Friend

Collega - Colleague

Familiare - Family member

Italiano/a - Italian

Di origine francese - Of French origin

Medico- Doctor

Artista – Artist

Fidanzato/a – Engaged

Sposato – Married

Personality Traits

Talking about personality adds depth to your conversations. Here are some adjectives to help you talk about different personality traits in Italian.

Simpatico/a - Nice, Friendly

Antipatico/a - Unpleasant, Unfriendly

Generoso/a - Generous

Egoista - Selfish

Estroverso/a - Extroverted

Introverso/a - Introverted

Affidabile – Reliable

Responsabile – Responsible

Irresponsabile - Irresponsible

Leale - Loyal

Sensibile - Sensitive

Forte - Strong

Debole - Weak

Intelligente - Intelligent

Stupido/a - Stupid

Creativo/a - Creative

Artistico/a - Artistic

Ambizioso/a - Ambitious

Pigro/a - Lazy

Energico/a - Energetic

Ottimista - Optimistic

Pessimista – Pessimistic

Gentile - Kind

Divertente – Funny

Timido/a – Shy

Chiacchierone/a – Talkative

Allegro/a – Cheerful

Socievole – Sociable

Amichevole – Friendly

Scontroso/a – Grumpy

Cattivo/a – Mean

Orribile – Horrible

Prepotente – Bossy

Fastidioso/a – Annoying

Arrogante – Arrogant

Paziente - Patient

Impaziente – Impatient

Other Descriptors

When it comes to other descriptors you can think of someone’s skills and talents, interests, hobbies, beliefs, and achievements.

Here are some examples.

È bravo/brava a suonare il pianoforte. (He/She is good at playing the piano.)

Ha talento nel disegno. (He/She has talent in drawing.)

È abile nel cucinare. (He/She is skilled in cooking.)

Sa parlare fluentemente tre lingue. (He/She can speak three languages fluently.)

È un ottimo programmatore. (He/She is an excellent programmer.)

Ha interesse per la fotografia. (He/She is interested in photography.)

Gli/Le piace leggere libri di fantascienza. (He/She likes reading science fiction books.)

È appassionato/appassionata di calcio. (He/She is passionate about soccer.)

Passa il tempo libero a dipingere. (He/She spends free time painting.)

Colleziona francobolli. (He/She collects stamps.)

È religioso/religiosa. (He/She is religious.)

Lui crede nel Dio. (He believes in God.)

Ha pubblicato un libro. (He/She has published a book.)

Describing People in Practice

When describing someone, you might combine these adjectives with the verb ESSERE – TO BE or AVERE – TO HAVE, to form sentences.

Remember that adjectives in Italian change depending on the gender and number of the person being described. For example, "bello" becomes "bella" for females and "bei" for plural males. Similarly, "giovane" becomes "giovani" in plural.

Pay attention to these changes when describing people in Italian.

Let’s practice together using the examples below.

Lui è alto e simpatico. (He is tall and friendly.)

Lei ha capelli ricci e occhi verdi. (She has curly hair and green eyes.)

Sono una persona intelligente e affidabile. (I am an intelligent and reliable person.)

È alto e magro. (He is tall and slim.)

È alta e magra. (She is tall and slim.)

La ragazza ha i capelli ricci. (The girl has curly hair.)

Lei ha i capelli grigi. (She has gray hair.)

Lei era molto pallida. (She was very pale.)

È italiano. (He is Italian.)

È italiana. (She is Italian.)

È di origine francese. (He/She is of French origin.)

È single. (He/She is single.)

È fidanzato/a (He/She is engaged.)

È sposato/a (He/She is married.)

È vegetariano/a (He/She is vegetarian.)

È un fumatore/una fumatrice. (He/She is a smoker.)

È medico. (He/She is a doctor.)

È un artista. (He/She is an artist.)

Lui è un grande amante della natura. (He is a great nature lover.)

Lui è alto e magro, con i capelli biondi e gli occhi azzurri. (He is tall and skinny, with blonde hair and blue eyes.)

È molto simpatico e divertente, ed ama vestirsi in modo elegante. (He's very nice and funny, and he loves to dress elegantly.)

By familiarizing yourself with the vocabulary and phrases we covered in this blog post you'll be able to express yourself in a different situation.

So, practice as much as you can, embrace your mistakes, and celebrate your progress😊

Buona fortuna! (Good luck!)