Talking About People

When we talk about people, we usually describe two things:

What we talk about	Example
Appearance (how they look)	She is young. / He looks tired.
Personality (what they’re like inside)	She is funny. / He is friendly.

To describe people, we often use two important verbs:
👉 verb “be” (am / is / are)
👉 verb “look”

Verb BE to describe people

We use be (am / is / are) to describe who someone is and what they are like.

Structure	Subject + be + adjective / noun
Examples	I am tall. / She is friendly. / They are students.

🟢 Use BE + adjective for personality or appearance:

She is beautiful.
He is kind.
They are young.

🟢 Use BE + noun to say what someone is:

She is a teacher.
He is my friend.

💡Remember:

Subject	Verb be
I	am
You / We / They	are
He / She / It	is

Verb LOOK to describe people

We use look to describe what we see. For example, someone’s or something’s appearance.
It’s about what we think when we see them.

“You look happy!” means: I think you are happy because of your face.

Look + adjective (appearance)

We use look + adjective to say how someone or something appears.

Structure	Subject + look + adjective
Examples	You look tired. / She looks happy. / It looks expensive.

✅ We use adjectives such as: happy, tired, young, old, angry, beautiful.

🟢 Meaning: You’re describing how someone seems — not what you know for sure.

You look tired. (= I think you are tired.)
You are tired. (= I know you are tired.)

Look like + noun (similar appearance)

We use look like + noun to say who or what someone or something resembles.

Structure	Subject + look like + noun
Examples	She looks like her mother. / He looks like a teacher. / It looks like a nice restaurant.

✅ We use nouns like: a student, your brother, my dad, a movie star, a new phone.

🟢 Meaning: They have a similar appearance.

You look like your brother. (= You and your brother have similar faces.)
It looks like a new car. (= It seems to be new.)

Verb BE LIKE to describe people (personality)

We use be like to ask about personality. What kind of person someone is.

Structure	What + be + person + like?
Examples	What is your teacher like? / He’s funny and kind.

🟢 Meaning: It’s not about looks. It’s about character or behavior.

What is your best friend like? → She’s friendly and helpful.
What is your city like? → It’s big and exciting.

Quick Comparison

Expression	What it means	Example
look + adjective	How someone appears	You look tired.
look like + noun	Who/what someone resembles	She looks like her sister.
be like	What someone’s personality is	What is he like? He’s nice.

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Speaking

1. Flip a card.
2. Look at the picture.
3. Describe the appearance of the person.