A2 — Describing people’s personality
Level A2
Personality adjectives
Talking about people
Goal
Learn common adjectives to talk about what people are like (friendly, shy, lazy, etc.) and use them in simple sentences: She is very friendly. He isn’t lazy, he’s hardworking.
Positive personality adjectives
| Adjective | Meaning (simple) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| friendly | likes people; easy to talk to | Anna is very friendly to new students. |
| kind | helps others; thinks about other people | The kind driver waited for the old man. |
| generous | likes giving or sharing | Our boss is generous with time and money. |
| optimistic | expects good things to happen | Tom is optimistic about the future. |
| reliable | you can depend on this person | Sue is reliable; she always arrives on time. |
| responsible | makes careful decisions; does the right thing | Sam is responsible with money. |
| cheerful | happy and smiling most of the time | Harry is cheerful, even on Monday mornings. |
| outgoing | enjoys meeting people; very social | Mary is outgoing and loves parties. |
| easygoing | relaxed; doesn’t get stressed easily | Joe is easygoing. Nothing worries him. |
| hardworking | works a lot; tries their best | Tony is hardworking and studies every day. |
We normally use be with personality adjectives: She is friendly. / They are very responsible.
Negative or neutral adjectives
| Adjective | Meaning (simple) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pessimistic | expects bad things to happen | Peter is pessimistic about his exams. |
| unfriendly | cold; does not make you feel welcome | The waiter was unfriendly. |
| rude | not polite; doesn’t say “please” or “thank you” | That rude man didn’t say hello. |
| mean (unkind) | cruel or very unkind | The mean boys laughed at the child. |
| mean (not generous) | doesn’t like giving or sharing | Gary is mean with money. |
| unreliable | does not keep promises; you can’t depend on them | Sally is unreliable; she often arrives late. |
| irresponsible | doesn’t think about results of their actions | Tim is too irresponsible to stay home alone. |
| miserable | looks very unhappy most of the time | Dan looks miserable today. |
| shy | quiet; feels nervous with other people | Jerry is shy and speaks little in class. |
| lazy | doesn’t like working or using energy | Sara is lazy at weekends. |
Many of these adjectives are opposites: optimistic ↔ pessimistic, reliable ↔ unreliable, responsible ↔ irresponsible, hardworking ↔ lazy.
Useful questions & patterns
- What is he / she like? — question about personality.
- He is very friendly but a bit shy.
- She is hardworking and responsible.
- They aren’t easygoing. They’re quite pessimistic.
Tip: combine one positive and one negative adjective to give a more realistic description: He is kind but sometimes lazy.
Exercises:
Describing People’s Personality
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
Our neighbours are very
; they always say “hello” and smile.
Correct: friendly — they are warm and open with people.
2
She is very
; she always helps old people with their bags.
Correct: kind — helpful and caring.
3
My uncle is very
; he often pays for dinner for everyone.
Correct: generous — happy to give or share.
4
Even when it’s difficult, he is
and believes everything will be OK.
Correct: optimistic — he thinks the future will be good.
5
She is very
; if she promises something, she always does it.
Correct: reliable — she always does what she promises.
6
He is
for two small children and takes care of them very well.
Correct: responsible — he takes his duties seriously.
7
Our teacher is always
; she smiles and jokes in every lesson.
Correct: cheerful — very happy and positive in mood.
8
He is very
; he enjoys parties and talking to strangers.
Correct: outgoing — likes being with people and talking a lot.
9
She is very
; small problems don’t make her angry.
Correct: easygoing — calm and relaxed about things.
10
He is very
; he studies every evening after work.
Correct: hardworking — he works a lot and tries his best.
11
She is very
and always thinks everything will go wrong.
Correct: pessimistic — she believes bad things will happen.
12
The new receptionist is quite
; she never smiles at customers.
Correct: unfriendly — not warm or kind to people.
13
It is very
to shout at waiters in a restaurant.
Correct: rude — not polite or respectful.
14
That boy is really
to his little sister; he laughs when she cries.
Correct: mean (unkind/cruel) — he is cruel and hurts her feelings.
15
He is very
with money; he never buys presents for anyone.
Correct: mean (not generous) — he doesn’t like to give or share.
16
Don’t ask him for help; he is
and often forgets his promises.
Correct: unreliable — he doesn’t do what he promises.
17
Leaving a baby alone at home is very
behaviour.
Correct: irresponsible — not careful with important duties.
18
After he lost his job, he felt
and didn’t want to see anyone.
Correct: miserable — extremely unhappy.
19
The new student is very
and doesn’t speak much in class.
Correct: shy — quiet and nervous with other people.
20
He is so
; he stays on the sofa all day and never helps at home.
Correct: lazy — he doesn’t want to work or help.
Describing People’s Personality
Match the sentences with the words
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