Unit 18 · People and feelingsA2Lesson 1 of 5: What do they look like?
Describing what people look like in European Portuguese
This lesson opens Unit 18, People and feelings (Pessoas e sentimentos), an A2 unit in which you describe what people look like and what they are like, talk about feelings, and choose between ser and estar, saber and conhecer. The new words are o cabelo (hair), louro (blond), comprido (long) and 5 more, practised in 10 example sentences. By the end you can say things like A minha mãe usa óculos (“My mother wears glasses”). The unit’s grammar notes cover “Ser or estar?” and “Describing looks: ter and usar”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o cabelo | hairUsually singular, with the article: Ela tem o cabelo comprido. |
louroalso loura, loiro, loira | blondLouro and loiro are both correct. |
compridoalso comprida | longFor hair, clothes and queues: o cabelo comprido. |
curtoalso curta | short (length)For length: cabelo curto. A short person is baixo. |
magroalso magra | thin |
os óculos | glassesAlways plural: Os meus óculos estão aqui. |
a barba | beardTer barba or usar barba = to have a beard. |
usar | to wearUsar óculos = to wear glasses. It also means "to use". |
Example sentences
- O Pedro é alto e magro.Pedro is tall and thin.
- A Ana tem o cabelo comprido.Ana has long hair.Hair usually takes the article: tem o cabelo comprido.
- O meu irmão tem barba.My brother has a beard.No article: ter barba. People also say usar barba.
- A minha mãe usa óculos.My mother wears glasses.Usar = to wear (glasses, a beard, a hat…).
- A Sofia é loura e tem olhos azuis.Sofia is blonde and has blue eyes.Colours agree with the noun: olhos azuis.
- Eu tenho o cabelo castanho e curto.I have short brown hair.Adjectives go after the noun: o cabelo castanho e curto.
- Como é o teu namorado?What's your boyfriend like?Como é…? asks what someone is like, or what they look like.
- O Tiago cortou o cabelo.Tiago had his hair cut.Cortar o cabelo = to get a haircut, even when someone else does it.
- A rapariga de cabelo comprido é a minha irmã.The girl with long hair is my sister.De cabelo comprido = with long hair.
- Tu estás mais magro!You look thinner!Estar magro = to look thin now, after a change. Ser magro = to be a thin person.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 18: People and feelings: