Adjectives
How to describe things, people and sensations
- Top 100A1–A2100 wordsaudioThe hundred most frequent adjectives that any conversation starts with: size and time, good and bad, right and important, how you feel, people, weather and things.
- ColoursA1–A225 wordsaudiostorysongWhat colour everything around you is: the basic colours, light and dark tones, special shades like turquoise and beige, silver and gold, plus colourful and colourless.
- Size and shapeA2–B141 wordsHow big a thing is and what shape it has: big and small, long and tall, narrow and wide, near or far, round, pointed, crooked, flat or steep.
- Weight and touchA2–B118 wordsaudioWhat a thing feels like in your hands: heavy or light, hard or soft, sturdy or fragile, smooth, slippery, sticky, wet or dry.
- Time, age and speedA2–B139 wordsWhen, how often and how fast: new and old, former and future, earlier and later, every day or rarely, for good or for a while, fast or all of a sudden.
- Praise and criticismA2–B135 wordsHow to say whether you like something: everyday praise, delight, slang like “cool”, and also “so-so”, “awful” and “it sucks”.
- Alike and differentA2–B123 wordsaudioHow things relate to each other: the same or different, ordinary or special, natural or artificial, your own or someone else's.
- Free, open, readyA2–B120 wordsaudiostoryCan you use it: taken or not, is the shop open, who is here, what is already done, what is still valid or sold out.
- Amount and degreeB127 wordsHow much of something there is and how strong it is: a lot or a little, whether it is enough, whole, half or a single part, moderate, excessive or extreme.
- Order, condition and comfortB1–B235 wordsWhat state your home and things are in: tidy or chaotic, clean or dirty, well-kept or neglected, intact, broken or dented, comfortable and cosy or not.
- Looks and styleB1–B226 wordsstoryWhat a person looks like: good-looking or not, what their figure, face and hair are like, how and in what they are dressed.
- Weather, light and soundB1–B228 wordsWhat you see, hear and feel on your skin: the day's forecast, heat and frost, bright or dim light, loud and quiet sounds.
- Nature and the environmentB1–B222 wordsaudiostoryThe living and non-living world around us: wild and tame animals, mountains and rocks, town and country, lush greenery and caring for the environment.
- Taste and foodB1–B231 wordsaudioHow food and drinks taste and feel in the mouth: sweet or spicy, crunchy or melting, filling, fizzy, and how to praise a dish.
- Interest and impressionsB1–B229 wordsstoryWhat makes a film, a book or a person grab you: gripping or dull, funny or moving, puzzling, famous or not.
- Emotional statesB1–B250 wordsstoryWhat's going on inside you right now: joy and sadness, love and pride, calm and stress, fear, hope, anger and hurt, confusion and embarrassment.
- Physical stateB1–B238 wordsHow your body feels: tired or fresh, strong or weak, healthy, with a cold or ill, hungry, drunk or sober, stiff or shaking.
- Social behaviourB1–B236 wordsstoryWhat a person is like with others: pleasant or nasty, polite or rude, sociable or withdrawn, self-confident, modest or arrogant.
- Kindness and compassionB1–B225 wordsstoryHow a person treats others at heart: kind and caring or cold, generous or stingy, whether they can empathise, be patient and forgive.
- Honesty and reliabilityB1–B220 wordsWhether you can count on a person: honest and fair, responsible, punctual, loyal, and whether they trust others themselves.
- Temperament and willpowerB1–B239 wordssongWhat a person's nature is like: sensitive or unflappable, lively or calm, brave or cautious, stubborn, determined and persistent.
- Mind and outlookB1–B230 wordsstoryHow a person thinks: clever or stupid, perceptive, sensible or naive, open to new things, an optimist or a cynic.
- Work and abilitiesB129 wordsWhat a person is like at work: diligent or careless, skilful, experienced, talented, whether they have a job and succeed.
- Hard and easyB1–B222 wordsaudiostoryHow hard a task is: difficult and tiring, daunting, easy and doable, clear or confusing.
- Importance and usefulnessB128 wordsstoryIs it worth doing: important or secondary, necessary or superfluous, useful and meaningful, dangerous or harmless.
- Opinions and argumentsB1–B224 wordsHow to argue and weigh a case: right or wrong, convincing or questionable, objective or biased, and whether you agree.
- Probability and certaintyB1–B219 wordsaudioHow sure something is: possible or ruled out, likely and plausible, certain or in doubt, on purpose or by chance.
- Money and priceB1–B220 wordsstoryWhat it costs and what it is worth: expensive, cheap or free, well made or shoddy, whether a person is rich and how they spend.
- Society and the stateB130 wordsA person among others: public and private, fairness and the law, politics, faith and origin, social standing and marital status.