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Portuguese Essential Vocabulary for Describing People

Learning a new language can be challenging, but mastering essential vocabulary is a significant first step. If you’re diving into European Portuguese, understanding how to describe people physically and psychologically will enhance your communication skills and cultural understanding. Here’s some essential vocabulary for describing people in European Portuguese.

Physical Descriptions

General Appearance

  • Tall: Alto/Alta
  • Short: Baixo/Baixa
  • Thin: Magro/Magra
  • Fat: Gordo/Gorda
  • Athletic: Atlético/Atlética

Hair

  • Hair: Cabelo
  • Short hair: Cabelo curto
  • Long hair: Cabelo comprido
  • Straight hair: Cabelo liso
  • Wavy hair: Cabelo ondulado
  • Curly hair: Cabelo encaracolado
  • Blonde hair: Cabelo loiro
  • Brown hair: Cabelo castanho
  • Black hair: Cabelo preto
  • Red hair: Cabelo ruivo

Eyes

  • Eyes: Olhos
  • Blue eyes: Olhos azuis
  • Green eyes: Olhos verdes
  • Brown eyes: Olhos castanhos
  • Black eyes: Olhos pretos

Other Features

  • Face: Rosto
  • Beard: Barba
  • Mustache: Bigode
  • Freckles: Sardas
  • Glasses: Óculos

Psychological Descriptions

Personality Traits

  • Friendly: Amigável
  • Nice: Simpático/Simpática
  • Unfriendly: Antipático/Antipática
  • Outgoing: Extrovertido/Extrovertida
  • Introverted: Introvertido/Introvertida
  • Fun: Divertido/Divertida
  • Serious: Sério/Séria

Emotional States

  • Happy: Feliz
  • Sad: Triste
  • Anxious: Ansioso/Ansiosa
  • Calm: Calmo/Calma
  • Angry: Zangado/Zangada
  • In love: Apaixonado/Apaixonada

Intelligence and Abilities

  • Intelligent: Inteligente
  • Clever: Esperto/Esperta
  • Creative: Criativo/Criativa
  • Hardworking: Trabalhador/Trabalhadora
  • Lazy: Preguiçoso/Preguiçosa

Combining Physical and Psychological Descriptions

When describing someone in European Portuguese, you can combine physical and psychological traits to give a fuller picture. For example:

  • Ela é alta e tem cabelo comprido e liso. É muito simpática e divertida. (She is tall and has long, straight hair. She is very nice and fun.)
  • Ele é baixo e tem olhos castanhos. É um pouco introvertido, mas muito inteligente. (He is short and has brown eyes. He is a bit introverted but very intelligent.)

Practice Makes Perfect

To get comfortable with these terms, practice by describing people you know or characters from books and movies. Engage in conversations with native speakers and pay attention to how they describe others. Over time, you’ll become more confident in your ability to use these descriptions naturally and accurately. Boa sorte!


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