Personality & Character in Spanish

Learn 36 personality adjectives in Spanish with audio. Describe people naturally.

Words36
AudioYes
Categories3
CostFree
Speed0.85x

Positive traits

amable

kind

simpático/a

nice / likeable

generoso/a

generous

honesto/a

honest

paciente

patient

valiente

brave

trabajador/a

hardworking

responsable

responsible

cariñoso/a

affectionate

divertido/a

fun / funny

inteligente

intelligent

educado/a

polite

Ser for personality

Always use ser (not estar) for personality traits: Es amable (She is kind), Son trabajadores (They are hardworking). Estar + personality adjective implies temporary or unusual behavior: Está muy serio hoy (He is very serious today — unusual for him).

Negative traits

egoísta

selfish

perezoso/a

lazy

mentiroso/a

liar / dishonest

tacaño/a

stingy

impaciente

impatient

maleducado/a

rude

orgulloso/a

arrogant

terco/a

stubborn

celoso/a

jealous

cobarde

coward

pesado/a

annoying

despistado/a

absent-minded

False friend: sensible

Sensible in Spanish means sensitive, NOT sensible. The English sensible translates to sensato/a. Similarly, educado means polite (not educated — that is culto or instruido).

Neutral / descriptive

tímido/a

shy

extrovertido/a

outgoing

serio/a

serious

tranquilo/a

calm / quiet

sensible

sensitive

curioso/a

curious

independiente

independent

creativo/a

creative

ambicioso/a

ambitious

maduro/a

mature

ingenuo/a

naive

reservado/a

reserved

Describing people naturally

Instead of just Es + adjective, try: Es una persona muy amable (She is a very kind person), Tiene un carácter fuerte (He has a strong character), Lo que más me gusta de ella es que es generosa (What I like most about her is that she is generous).

Quiz: Spanish Personality Traits

1. What does 'amable' mean?

2. How do you say 'lazy' in Spanish?

3. What does 'sensible' mean in Spanish?

4. How do you say 'hardworking'?

5. 'Despistado' means:

6. How do you say 'stubborn'?

7. What does 'educado' mean?

8. The opposite of 'generoso' is:

9. How do you say 'outgoing'?

10. 'Es valiente' means:

Describe people in Spanish

Personality vocabulary is essential for meaningful conversations. Whether you are talking about friends, describing someone, or discussing characters in a book or film, these adjectives come up constantly in everyday Spanish.

Using ser vs estar with traits

Personality traits use ser because they describe inherent characteristics. Using estar instead signals something temporary or surprising, which is a powerful nuance in Spanish conversation.

Explore more Spanish resources

Free tools for translation, text-to-speech and language learning. No registration, no limits.

▶ Learn Spanish Hub ✎ Translator ♪ Text to Speech