In this Spanish lesson we will practice how to describe physical appearances in Spanish using el verbo ser (to be) and el verbo tener (to have). As usual, first we will review some relevant grammar and vocabulary and then see if you can follow a short listening.

This lesson is part of a Spanish course that practices the grammar and vocabulary first introduced in my beginner Spanish course posted here on the Transparent Language blog. Let’s test your listening comprehension and see if you can understand a short audio in Spanish. The transcript to the audio will be given at the end of the post but please try not to look at it until you have tried playing and understanding the audio a few times.

Use the following link to watch the corresponding video lesson of the original course:

Beginner Spanish Lesson 11 Physical descriptions

Please familiarise yourself with the following words and phrases before listening to the audio below:

Tampoco: neither
También: also
Como tú: like you

Now, play the audio below to listen to a conversation in Spanish between two people describing their family. Can you understand what they are saying? Play the audio a few times before you look at the transcript. Don’t worry if you don’t understand every single thing the two people are saying. Try to catch whichever words you can and then try to piece things together to work out what is being said.

 
(Play the audio a few times before you scroll down and look at the transcript)

Transcript:

Paul: Sofía ¿Cómo es tu madre?
Sofía: Mi madre es baja y delgada. Tiene el pelo largo y castaño.
Paul: ¿Tiene los ojos marrones?
Sofía: No, tiene los ojos verdes. Y tú madre ¿Cómo es?
Paul: Mi madre no es baja, pero tampoco es alta.
Sofía: ¿De qué color tiene el pelo?
Paul: Tiene el pelo pelirrojo y los ojos verdes.
Sofía: Mi hermano también tiene los ojos verdes.
Paul: Como tú.
Sofía: No, no. Yo tengo los ojos azules.
Paul: ¡Ah sí! Es verdad.

So, how did you get on? How much did you understand of the listening? Please let me know in the comments section below…

Don’t worry if you didn’t understand that much, keep reviewing the vocabulary and phrases and you will soon be up to speed and ready for the next lesson in this course. See you next time!