Personal description involves writing clear details in Italian about your identity, physical appearance, personality, and family. Practise personal details in short emails, letters, profiles and forms, and follow the format requested in the question.
1. Giving Core Personal Details
Introduce yourself using fixed phrases. In Italian, age always uses the verb avere (to have), never essere.
- Name: Mi chiamo Seán. (My name is Seán.)
- Age: Ho quattordici anni. (I am fourteen years old.)
- Origin: Sono irlandese. (I am Irish.) Nationalities do not take a capital letter.
- Home: Abito a Galway, in Irlanda. (I live in Galway, in Ireland.)
- Birthday: Il mio compleanno è il tre maggio. (My birthday is 3 May.) Months do not take a capital letter.
Use a before a city or town (a Cork) and in before a country (in Irlanda). When an exam task asks about past background or future plans, use basic past and future forms: Sono nato/a a Cork (I was born in Cork); L'anno prossimo studierò in Italia (Next year I will study in Italy).
2. Describing Physical Appearance
Physical descriptions rely on two key verbs: essere for build and height, and avere for hair and eyes.
| Feature | Italian Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Height & Build | Essere + adjective | Sono alto/alta, basso/bassa, di statura media |
| Hair (i capelli) | Avere + i capelli + adjectives | Ho i capelli corti e castani, lunghi e ricci |
| Eyes (gli occhi) | Avere + gli occhi + colour | Ho gli occhi azzurri / verdi / castani |
| Other features | Portare (to wear) | Porto gli occhiali (I wear glasses) |
Hair and eyes are masculine plural. Make changing adjectives agree: corto → corti, castano → castani, verde → verdi. For brown hair, use capelli castani.
3. Character and Adjective Agreement
Adjectives must agree with the person they describe. Gender means masculine or feminine; number means singular or plural. Learn these patterns: alto/alta → alti/alte; gentile → gentili. Gentile has the same masculine and feminine form.
- Regular adjectives ending in -o change to -a for females: simpatico (m) / simpatica (f); timido (m) / timida (f).
- Adjectives ending in -e stay identical for masculine and feminine singular: intelligente, socievole.
- Add qualifiers to vary tone: un po' (a little), abbastanza (quite), molto (very).
Examples:
- Sono una ragazza simpatica e molto sportiva. (I am a friendly and very sporty girl.)
- Sono abbastanza timido, ma sono socievole. (I am quite shy, but sociable.)
4. Family, Friends, and Linking Words
Family and friends
Switch to third-person singular verbs when describing someone else: è (is), ha (has), and si chiama (is called).
- Mio fratello si chiama Liam. È alto e ha i capelli neri.
- La mia migliore amica si chiama Aoife. È molto divertente.
With possessives meaning 'my', use mio fratello and mia madre without an article. Use i miei genitori for 'my parents'.
Linking words
Link sentences together using simple connectors:
- e (and), ma (but), anche (also), perché (because), quindi (so).
When a prompt asks Perché...?, answer with a full reasoned sentence: Studio l'italiano perché mi piace la cultura italiana (I study Italian because I like Italian culture).
5. Filling Out Registration Forms
Official exam tasks frequently require you to complete a profile or student exchange form. Learn these key headings:
- Nome: First name
- Cognome: Surname / family name
- Data di nascita: Date of birth (day/month/year: 12/05/2011)
- Luogo di nascita: Place of birth (Galway, Roma)
- Città di residenza: City/town where you live now
- Numero di fratelli / sorelle: Number of brothers / sisters
Use words or dates for factual boxes. For questions such as Perché...?, give a clear reason and follow any length instruction.
Key terms
- Avere
- The verb 'to have', used in Italian to state age, hair colour, and eye colour (e.g. ho quindici anni).
- Essere
- The verb 'to be', used to express nationality, height, build, and personality (e.g. sono irlandese).
- Accordo
- The grammatical rule where adjectives change endings to match the gender and number of the noun they describe.
- Cognome
- The Italian noun for surname or family name on application forms and profiles.
- Data di nascita
- The Italian term for date of birth, formatted day/month/year on forms.
- Connettivo
- A linking word used to join sentences, such as e (and), ma (but), or perché (because).
Check yourself
How do you say 'I am fifteen years old' in Italian?
Ho quindici anni.
Which verb is used for height and build: 'essere' or 'avere'?
Essere (e.g. Sono alto/alta).
Make the adjective 'gentile' plural.
Gentili.
What is the Italian form heading for 'surname'?
Cognome.
Which preposition goes before a city name: 'a' or 'in'?
Use 'a' (e.g. Abito a Cork).