When describing someone in French, personality traits play a key role in capturing their character. Below you will find several lists of adjectives in French to help you accurately depict various personalities.
In this article you will find the following sections:
- Adjectives to Describe Positive Personality Traits
- Adjectives to Describe Negative Personality Traits
- Voorbeelden
- Different Adjective Groups
Adjectives to Describe Positive Personality Traits
The adjectives below can be used to describe the positive traits of a person in French. Each adjective is written in two forms: The masculine (the first word) and the feminine (the second word):
- Ambitieux/Ambitieuse: Ambitious (a person with a strong drive to achieve their goals and succeed)
- Amical/Amicale: Friendly (someone who is warm and welcoming to others)
- Artistique/Artistique: Artistic (a person with a creative or expressive talent)
- Attentionné/Attentionnée: Caring (someone who shows consideration and concern for others)
- Aventureux/Aventureuse: Adventurous (a person willing to take risks and try new things)
- Bavard/Bavarde: Talkative (someone who enjoys engaging in conversation)
- Calme/Calme: Calm (a person who remains composed and relaxed)
- Charismatique/Charismatique: Charismatic (someone who naturally attracts and influences others)
- Compréhensif/Compréhensive: Understanding (a person who empathizes with others)
- Courageux/Courageuse: Brave (someone who faces challenges with confidence)
- Créatif/Créative: Creative (a person with a strong imagination and originality)
- Débrouillard/Débrouillarde: Resourceful (someone who finds solutions to problems easily)
- Discret/Discrète: Discreet (a person who is careful and mindful about sharing information)
- Drôle/Drôle: Funny (someone who can make others laugh with ease)
- Dynamique/Dynamique: Dynamic (a person full of energy and enthusiasm)
- Énergique/Énergique: Energetic (someone who has a lot of physical or mental stamina)
- Enjoué/Enjouée: Playful (a person who brings a lighthearted spirit to situations)
- Excentrique/Excentrique: Quirky (someone with unique, interesting personality traits)
- Extraverti/Extravertie: Outgoing (a sociable person who enjoys interacting with others)
- Fiable/Fiable: Reliable (someone you can depend on in any situation)
- Franc/Franche: Frank (a person who speaks openly and honestly)
- Généreux/Généreuse: Generous (someone willing to give time or resources to others)
- Gentil/Gentille: Kind (a person who is thoughtful and considerate)
- Honnête/Honnête: Honest (someone who values truth and integrity)
- Ingénieux/Ingénieuse: Ingenious (a person with clever and inventive ideas)
- Intelligent/Intelligente: Intelligent (someone with strong mental capability and understanding)
- Intéressant/Intéressante: Interesting (a person who attracts attention with their unique qualities)
- Loyal/Loyal: Loyal (someone who is committed and faithful to others)
- Modeste/Modeste: Modest (a person who doesn’t boast about their abilities or achievements)
- Optimiste/Optimiste: Optimistic (someone who sees the positive side of situations)
- Organisé/Organisée: Organized (a person who arranges tasks and priorities efficiently)
- Ouvert d'esprit/Ouverte d'esprit: Open-minded (someone who is receptive to new ideas)
- Patient/Patiente: Patient (a person who remains calm and tolerant in difficult situations)
- Perfectionniste/Perfectionniste: Perfectionist (someone who strives for flawlessness in everything they do)
- Persévérant/Persévérante: Persevering (a person who is determined to continue despite challenges)
- Poli/Polie: Polite (someone who is respectful and courteous)
- Reconnaissant/Reconnaissante: Grateful (a person who shows appreciation for what they have)
- Responsable/Responsable: Responsible (someone who is dependable and takes their duties seriously)
- Sage/Sage: Wise (a person with good judgment based on experience and knowledge)
- Sérieux/Sérieuse: Serious (someone who is earnest and thoughtful in their approach)
- Simple, réaliste/Simple, réaliste: Down-to-earth (a person who is practical and unpretentious)
- Sincère/Sincère: Sincere (someone who speaks and acts with honesty and genuine intent)
- Sociable/Sociable: Sociable (a person who enjoys the company of others)
- Sophistiqué/Sophistiquée: Sophisticated (someone with refined tastes and manners)
- Spontané/Spontanée: Spontaneous (a person who acts naturally without overthinking)
- Studieux/Studieuse: Studious (someone who dedicates time and effort to learning)
- Sympathique/Sympathique: Nice (a person who is pleasant and easy to be around)
- Tolérant/Tolérante: Tolerant (someone who accepts differences in others)
- Travailleur/Travailleuse: Hard-working (a person dedicated to putting effort into their tasks)
Adjectives to Describe Negative Personality Traits
The adjectives below can be used to describe the negative traits of a person in French. Each adjective is written in two forms: The masculine (the first word) and the feminine (the second word):
- Agité/Agitée: Restless (a person who struggles to relax or stay still)
- Agressif/Agressive: Aggressive (someone who tends to be confrontational or forceful)
- Antipathique/Antipathique: Unlikeable (a person who is hard for others to enjoy being around)
- Anxieux/Anxieuse: Anxious (someone who is often worried or uneasy)
- Apathique/Apathique: Apathetic (a person who shows little interest or enthusiasm)
- Blasé/Blasée: Passive (someone who lacks energy or motivation)
- Caractériel/Caractérielle: Temperamental (a person with unpredictable moods)
- Désagréable/Désagréable: Unfriendly (someone who isn’t pleasant to others)
- Désorganisé/Désorganisée: Disorganized (a person who lacks order and planning)
- Dur/Dure: Rough (someone who can be harsh or unsympathetic)
- Effrayant/Effrayante: Scary (a person who makes others feel uneasy or afraid)
- Égoïste/Égoïste: Selfish (someone who thinks mainly of themselves)
- Ennuyeux/Ennuyeuse: Boring (a person who lacks excitement or interest)
- Étroit d'esprit/Étroite d'esprit: Narrow-minded (someone who is not open to new ideas)
- Fermé/Fermée: Uncommunicative (a person who keeps to themselves and doesn’t share much)
- Froid/Froide: Cold (someone who lacks warmth or compassion)
- Grincheux/Grincheuse: Grumpy (a person who is often in a bad mood)
- Grossier/Grossière: Rude (someone who is disrespectful or impolite)
- Hypocrite/Hypocrite: Hypocritical (a person who says one thing but does another)
- Impatient/Impatiente: Impatient (someone who has difficulty waiting or staying calm)
- Imprudent/Imprudente: Careless (a person who often takes unnecessary risks)
- Indiscret/Indiscrète: Indiscreet (someone who lacks discretion or privacy)
- Infidèle/Infidèle: Unfaithful (a person who does not stay loyal to commitments)
- Ingrat/Ingrate: Ungrateful (someone who shows little appreciation)
- Intolérant/Intolérante: Intolerant (a person who has difficulty accepting differences)
- Introverti/Introvertie: Introvert (someone who is reserved and quiet)
- Lâche/Lâche: Coward (a person who avoids difficult or risky situations)
- Malhonnête/Malhonnête: Dishonest (someone who does not tell the truth)
- Méchant/Méchante: Mean (a person who can be unkind or harsh)
- Naïf/Naïve: Naive (someone who is overly trusting or inexperienced)
- Paresseux/Paresseuse: Lazy (a person who avoids effort and work)
- Pessimiste/Pessimiste: Pessimistic (someone who often expects the worst)
- Prétentieux/Prétentieuse: Pretentious (a person who tries to impress by acting superior)
- Radin/Radine: Stingy (someone who is unwilling to share or spend)
- Stupide/Stupide: Stupid (a person who lacks understanding or insight)
- Têtu/Têtue: Stubborn (someone who is unwilling to change their mind)
- Timide/Timide: Shy (a person who feels nervous in social situations)
- Vantard/Vantarde: Boastful (someone who brags about their achievements)
Voorbeelden
In the following examples we have used some of the positive and negative adjectives to descripe a person.
Examples of Positive Adjectives
-
Elle est toujours très attentionnée envers ses amis.
She is always very caring towards her friends. -
Il est extrêmement ambitieux et vise de grandes choses.
He is extremely ambitious and aims for big things. -
Elle est si drôle qu’elle fait rire tout le monde.
She is so funny that she makes everyone laugh. -
Il est connu pour être fiable et on peut toujours compter sur lui.
He is known for being reliable, and you can always count on him. -
Elle est très créative et a toujours des idées originales.
She is very creative and always has original ideas.
Examples of Negative Adjectives
-
Il est très impatient quand il s'agit d'attendre son tour.
He is very impatient when it comes to waiting his turn. -
Elle peut être un peu méchante quand elle est de mauvaise humeur.
She can be a bit mean when she's in a bad mood. -
Il est tellement désorganisé qu'il oublie souvent ses rendez-vous.
He is so disorganized that he often forgets his appointments. -
Son comportement égoïste agace souvent ses amis.
Her selfish behavior often annoys her friends. -
Elle est assez prétentieuse et pense toujours qu'elle a raison.
She is quite pretentious and always thinks she's right.
Different Adjective Groups
Basis Beschrijvende Bijvoeglijke naamwoorden
Bij het beschrijven van iemands fysieke verschijning of basiskenmerken worden deze veelgebruikte bijvoeglijke naamwoorden vaak gebruikt:
- Beau / Belle: knap / mooi
- Grand / GrandeLang
- Petit / Petiteklein, kort
- Jeune: jong
- Vieux / Vieilleoud
- Gros / GrosseGroot, vet
- Mince: slank
Persoonlijkheidskenmerken
Om iemands persoonlijkheid te beschrijven kun je verschillende bijvoeglijke naamwoorden gebruiken. Hier zijn enkele voorbeelden:
- Gentil / Gentille: vriendelijk
- Méchant / Méchantebetekenen
- Intelligent / Intelligente: intelligent
- BêteStom
- Travailleur / Travailleuse: hardwerkend
- Paresseux / Paresseuse: lui
- Sérieux / Sérieuseernstig
- Amusant / Amusante: grappig
Emoties en gevoelens
Het beschrijven van emoties en gevoelens vereist vaak een andere set bijvoeglijke naamwoorden:
- Heureux / HeureuseGelukkig
- Tristetriest
- En colèreboos
- Nerveux / NerveuseZenuwachtig
- Calmekalmte
- Effrayé / Effrayéebang
- Surpris / Surpriseverrast
Sociale kenmerken
Sociale eigenschappen kunnen ook benadrukt worden met specifieke bijvoeglijke naamwoorden:
- Sociable: gezellig
- Timideverlegen
- Généreux / Généreuse: genereus
- Égoïste: egoïstisch
- Honnête: eerlijk
- Malhonnête: oneerlijk
- Respectueux / Respectueuse: respectvol
- Impoli / Impoliegrof
Fysieke kenmerken
Met deze bijvoeglijke naamwoorden kunnen meer gedetailleerde fysieke beschrijvingen worden gemaakt:
- Chauve: kaal
- Barbu / Barbebaard
- Musclé / MuscléeGespierd
- Maigre: dun
- Costaud / Costaudestevig, taai
- Joli / JolieMooi
- Moche: lelijk
Bijvoeglijke naamwoorden van maat en hoeveelheid
Als we het hebben over iemands fysieke grootte of aanwezigheid, zijn bijvoeglijke naamwoorden vaak relevant:
- Long / Longuelang
- Court / Courte: kort
- Épais / Épaisse: dik
- Fin / Fine: dun
- Large: breed
- Étroit / Étroite: smal
Bijvoeglijke naamwoorden van vergelijking
Vergelijkende bijvoeglijke naamwoorden zijn handig om mensen met elkaar te vergelijken:
- Meilleur / Meilleure: beter
- Pire: erger
- Supérieur / SupérieureOverste
- Inférieur / Inférieure: inferieur
- Égal / ÉgaleGelijk
Het begrijpen en correct gebruiken van Franse bijvoeglijke naamwoorden is cruciaal voor effectieve communicatie. Elk bijvoeglijk naamwoord is qua geslacht en aantal gelijk aan het zelfstandig naamwoord dat het beschrijft, wat een belangrijke grammaticale regel is in het Frans. Door je woordenschat uit te breiden met deze bijvoeglijke naamwoorden, kun je een levendiger beeld schetsen wanneer je mensen beschrijft in het Frans.