Spanish 1 / Unit 7: Family and Possessives
7.5 Describing Family Members
Notes
Combine ser, tener and adjectives to describe people.
- Older / younger: mayor / menor. Mi hermana mayor tiene diecisiete años. Mayor and menor add -es for plural: mis hermanos menores.
- Looks with ser: Mi tío es alto y delgado. With tener: Tiene el pelo largo (long) / corto (short).
- joven (young), viejo/a or mayor (old, elderly; mayor is more polite), delgado/a (thin), guapo/a (good-looking).
- Personality: cariñoso/a (affectionate), generoso/a, serio/a, divertido/a.
Practice
How do you say "my younger brother"?
Menor = younger.
Complete: "Mi abuela ___ el pelo blanco y ___ muy cariñosa."
Hair uses tener; personality uses ser.
Read: "Mi prima Lucía tiene veinte años. Es mayor que yo. Es delgada, tiene el pelo corto y es muy seria." Which is true about Lucía?
Mayor que yo = older than me; seria = serious.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 7 test.