Key Stage 2 languages · Describing

KS2 languages: describing people in French or Spanish

Describing a person is one of the most useful early tasks in primary languages. Children learn to say, and then write, what someone looks like and what they are like, using phrases they know and adapting them for a boy, a girl, a friend or a family member. It brings together vocabulary, verbs and agreement in a way that has an obvious purpose.

Describing people, explained

The programme of study asks pupils to describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing, and to write phrases from memory and adapt them. This topic looks at people. The spoken part does not apply to ancient languages such as Latin, where the work is reading and writing. Schools choose the language and the vocabulary, but a typical unit covers a person’s name, age, hair, eyes, height and personality, and perhaps what they are wearing or what they like doing.

The children use two different verbs, and the choice is the main grammar point. For things a person has, such as hair and eyes, French uses “avoir” (to have) and Spanish uses “tener”: “Il a les cheveux courts”, “Tiene el pelo corto”. For what a person is like, such as tall, funny or kind, they use “être” in French and “ser” in Spanish: “Elle est grande”, “Es alta”. Teachers help children see why one verb is chosen rather than just asking them to memorise.

Adjectives must match the person described. In French and Spanish, an adjective for a girl usually changes its ending: “grand” becomes “grande” and “alto” becomes “alta”. Some adjectives such as “drôle” or “inteligente” stay the same for a boy or a girl. When there is more than one thing, they take a plural ending, which is why the French eyes are “bleus” and the Spanish ones “azules”. Adjectives usually come after the noun, so “les cheveux longs” and “el pelo largo”, in the opposite order to English.

Because it is real, this topic suits speaking and writing together. Children describe a classmate, a character from a story or a family member, and others guess who it is. They then write a short paragraph. Teachers encourage kind, respectful descriptions and the use of connectives like “et” and “mais” (and, but) or “y” and “pero” to join ideas, so the writing sounds more natural than a list of short sentences.

Words your child will hear

Describe: To say or write what a person or thing is like, using adjectives.
Adjective: A describing word, such as “grand” (tall) or “simpático” (nice).
Agreement: Matching an adjective to the person described, so it is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
Invariable: Describes an adjective that keeps the same form for masculine and feminine, such as “drôle” in French or “inteligente” in Spanish.
Personality: What someone is like as a person, such as funny, kind or shy.
Connective: A small word that joins ideas, such as “et” (and) or “mais” (but) in French.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 2, pupils should be taught to:

Describe people, places, things and actions orally* and in writing
Write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example

Describe a friend called Mia in French, in four sentences: she is ten, she has long brown hair and green eyes, and she is tall and funny.

Plan what to say about Mia: name, age, hair and eyes, height and character. Four sentences will cover it.
Choose the right verb. Age and the things she has, such as hair and eyes, use “avoir”: “Elle a dix ans.” What she is like, such as tall or funny, uses “être”.
Make the adjectives match. “Les cheveux” is masculine and plural, so the adjectives are “longs” and “bruns”. “Les yeux” is also masculine plural, so “verts”. Mia is a girl, so “grand” becomes “grande”, and “drôle” stays the same.
Join the ideas with “et” to make the writing flow. Read the paragraph aloud to check that it sounds right and every adjective matches.
Change it for a boy, such as Max. “Elle” becomes “Il”, and “grande” becomes “grand”. The hair and eyes stay the same, since they describe plural masculine nouns.

French: “Elle s’appelle Mia. Elle a dix ans. Elle a les cheveux longs et bruns et les yeux verts. Elle est grande et drôle.” Spanish: “Se llama Mia. Tiene diez años. Tiene el pelo largo y castaño y los ojos verdes. Es alta y divertida.” The structures match, and only the adjectives for the person change when you describe a boy: “grande” becomes “grand” in French, and “alta” and “divertida” become “alto” and “divertido” in Spanish.

Common mistakes and how to help

Using “to be” for age, hair or eyes

English says “she is ten”, so children write “Elle est dix ans” or “Es diez años”. Once “is” is in their head, it can spread to the rest of the description, giving “Elle est les yeux verts”. French and Spanish use “to have” for age as well as for hair and eyes.

What helps: Link the verbs to the type of information: age and hair or eyes use “to have”, while height and character use “to be”. Practise by sorting descriptions into two columns.

Not making the adjective match the person

English adjectives never change, so “Elle est grand” or “Ella es alto” does not feel wrong to a child who is thinking about meaning.

What helps: Ask “Is the person a boy or a girl?” before writing the adjective ending. Practise by describing the same person first as a girl and then as a boy.

Putting adjectives before the noun

English says “long hair”, so children write “longs cheveux” or “largo pelo” in the new language.

What helps: Say the phrase as a chunk many times: “les cheveux longs”, “el pelo largo”. Pointing out that describing words come second becomes a habit with practice.

Forgetting plural endings, or the colour exceptions

Hair and eyes are plural in French, so “les yeux bleu” is wrong and needs “bleus”. Some colours, like “marron” (brown eyes), do not change at all, which seems to contradict the rule.

What helps: Note the plural noun first and then add the ending. Treat “marron” as a known exception and learn it on its own.

How to help at home

Guess who. Take turns describing someone in the family, a character from a book or a famous person in the language. The other player guesses who it is. Using real people makes your child choose accurate words.
Draw from a description. Read out a short description in English or in the new language and let your child draw the person. Swap roles so your child gives you the description and you draw it.
Describe the family photo. Look at a family photograph and describe each person in a sentence or two. Notice together which words change for a woman and which for a man.
Write a character profile. Ask your child to write four or five sentences about a character from a favourite story, covering looks and personality. Encourage kind and positive words, and suggest joining two ideas with “et” or “y”.