Lesson 6: More Everyday Adjectives
Describing Appearance & Personality
You know how to describe objects with colors and sizes. But how do you describe a person? We can talk about their appearance1 (what they look like) and their personality2 (what they are like). This lesson will teach you new adjectives to describe people.
Describing Appearance
| 👩🦰 beautiful3 | (byoo-ti-ful) | ស្រស់ស្អាត | Very pretty, usually used for women. Example: "She is a beautiful woman." |
| 🧑🦱 handsome4 | (hand-sum) | សង្ហា | Attractive, usually used for men. Example: "He is a tall, handsome man." |
| 👶 young5 | (yung) | ក្មេង | Being in the early part of life. Example: "My sister is young." |
| 👵 old6 | (ohld) | ចាស់ | Being in a later part of life. Example: "My grandmother is old." |
Describing Personality
| 🤗 kind7 | (kynd) | ចិត្តល្អ | Being friendly, generous, and considerate. Example: "My teacher is very kind." |
| 😂 funny8 | (fun-ee) | កំប្លែង | Causing laughter or amusement. Example: "My brother is very funny." |
| 😊 friendly9 | (frend-lee) | រួសរាយ | Behaving in a pleasant, kind way towards others. Example: "The people here are very friendly." |
| 😳 shy10 | (shy) | អៀន | Being nervous or timid with other people. Example: "The little girl is shy." |
Usage Note: How to Use These Adjectives
Remember, you can use these adjectives in two main ways:
- Before the noun: "She is a kind person." "He is a funny man."
- After the verb 'to be' (am/is/are): "She is kind." "He is funny."
In Conversation
Srey is showing Maria a family photo.
Maria: Who is this in the photo, Srey?
Srey: That is my grandfather. He was very handsome when he was young.
Maria: He has a very nice smile. What is his personality like?
Srey: He is very kind and tells funny stories. Everyone likes him because he's so friendly.
Maria: He sounds wonderful. And who is this? She is very beautiful!
Srey: That's my little sister. She is still a bit shy with new people.
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. A person who makes you laugh is ______.
- a) shy
- b) funny
- c) old
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) funny
2. What is the opposite of 'young'?
- a) kind
- b) handsome
- c) old
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) old
3. Choose the correct sentence.
- a) He is a man kind.
- b) He is a kind man.
- c) He is a kindly man.
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) He is a kind man.
edit Your Mission
- My Friend/Family: Choose one friend or family member. Write two sentences to describe them. One for appearance, one for personality. (e.g., "My mother is beautiful. She is also very kind.")
- Practice: Think of a famous person you like. What three adjectives from this lesson would you use to describe them?
- Speak: Your mission is to give a real compliment to a friend using an adjective from this lesson. (e.g., "You are very friendly." or "That story was funny!")
book Lesson Glossary
- Appearance (noun) - Khmer: រូបរាង (roub reang) - The way that someone looks. ↩
- Personality (noun) - Khmer: បុគ្គលិកលក្ខណៈ (bok-kâ-lĭk leăkh-khă-nă) - The type of person you are, shown by the way you behave, feel, and think. ↩
- beautiful (adjective) - Khmer: ស្រស់ស្អាត - Very pretty or attractive (usually for women). ↩
- handsome (adjective) - Khmer: សង្ហា - Physically attractive (usually for men). ↩
- young (adjective) - Khmer: ក្មេង - Being in the early part of life. ↩
- old (adjective) - Khmer: ចាស់ - Being in a later part of life. ↩
- kind (adjective) - Khmer: ចិត្តល្អ - Friendly, generous, and considerate. ↩
- funny (adjective) - Khmer: កំប្លែង - Causing laughter. ↩
- friendly (adjective) - Khmer: រួសរាយ - Behaving in a pleasant, kind way towards others. ↩
- shy (adjective) - Khmer: អៀន - Being nervous or timid with other people. ↩