· 13 lists · 640 words

People and feelings

How to describe who somebody is and how they are.

What holds these lists together

What there is to say about a person once name and job have been given: how they are, how they behave, whom they trust and whom they have fallen out with. The feelings put ser and estar to the test, learnt on the first day and deciding something here for the first time. English marks the difference with an ending, «boring» and «bored»; Spanish marks it with the verb, es aburrido and está aburrido. Some adjectives look English and are not: a persona sensible is sensitive, while «sensible» is sensato. And saying enfadado where molesto would do makes you sound angrier than you are.

The 13 lists

A2Feelings and characterHow somebody is, and how somebody is today.40 words B1Friendship and relationshipsMeeting, falling out, making up — and talking about it.50 words B2Psychology and behaviourWhat somebody feels, why they do it, and how to describe both.50 words B2Saying feelings more exactlyBetween annoyed and hurt lie five Spanish words; here they are.50 words C1Light conversationStarting, keeping on, dodging, ending — the phrases for talk nobody is obliged to have.50 words C2PsychoanalysisUnconscious, defence, transference, interpretation — the terms of a theory that shaped everyday speech.50 words C2Compound feelingsWords for states made of several feelings at once — wistfulness, quiet satisfaction, unease.50 words C2Describing people exactlyCharacter, bearing and manner — words that make a person recognisable instead of merely praising them.50 words C2Body languagePosture, gaze, gesture and voice — the words for what runs alongside what is said.50 words C2Conflict and mediationHow a quarrel starts, hardens and is settled.50 words C2Politeness and distanceHow much distance a sentence puts between two people.50 words C2Trust and suspicionWhat trust is built on, and what breaks it.50 words C2Reputation and rumourHow a name is made, held and lost.50 words

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.

Level	Words	Share
A2	40	6 %
B1	50	8 %
B2	100	16 %
C1	50	8 %
C2	400	62 %

Practise this category

Multiple choice and gaps, across all 13 lists and all 640 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.