Describing people. Physical characteristics. Spanish has two verbs which both mean 'to be' (see the grammar) ser and estar. The one to use when describing a person's appearance is normally, ser.

'He/she is' is es.

Use es followed by the appropriate adjective. Two examples are :- Es viejo 'he is old' and Es joven 'he is young'.

English Spanish
He/she is ... Es ...
He is old Es viejo
dark moreno/a
fat gordo/a
fair rubio/a
good looking guapo/a
middle aged de media edad
old viejo/a
red-haired pelirojo/a
short bajo/a
slightly built menudo/a
tall alto/a
thin delgado/a
ugly feo/a
young joven/a


A few phrases related to appearance.
English Spanish
his/her appearance su aspecto
a fierce looking man un hombre de aspecto feroz
He had a sulky face Tenía la cara larga


See Describing People. Personality" for the words and phrases needed to describe someone's character.

Talking about people

He/she is married/well educated ...

English Spanish
He is single Está soltero
She is single Está soltera
He is married Está casado
to be educated tener estudias