How to Describe Personalities in English (8 Classic Expressions You Need to Know)

Hey, it's Annemarie with Speak Confident English and I have a question for you.

If someone asked you to describe yourself at a party,

how would you do that in English?

Are you typically someone who loves to be with other people or do you prefer to

be a little alone or just with a small group?

How would you describe that in English or how would you describe someone who

honestly really doesn't enjoy being around other people? In English,

we have some fantastic advanced expressions that we use to describe

personalities and that's exactly what we're going to focus on today.

Now the reason for this lesson is just last week I was talking with a group of

students and I used an idiom to talk about my personality that was totally new

and I started to think about some other idioms we use regularly to talk about

people, their personalities and characteristics.

I thought you might like to know those idioms as well so that you can add them

to your daily English and understand native speakers more easily.

And the good news is if you enjoy this lesson,

I actually have three other lessons on this topic. In fact,

I have a full lesson on how to talk about your personality id English.

A lesson with 28 negative adjectives that we can use to talk about people

because let's be honest,

sometimes we need some negative adjectives and finally a lesson with 23 positive

adjectives you can use for talking about people and their personalities.

But today let's focus on some idioms. Idiom number one,

a lone wolf. Have you ever heard that one before? A lone wolf.

Here's my example sentence and I want to see if you can catch the meaning.

She was a true lone wolf.

Her only friends were her motorcycle and the poker game at the local casino.

What do you think?

Does that sound like someone who loves being with other people?

Probably not. In fact,

a lone wolf is someone who doesn't enjoy other people.

They don't like being around others. They prefer to be alone.

Do you know anyone who's a lone wolf? Now,

idiom number two is perfect for describing how people behave at a party,

and this is the idiom I used with my students to talk about me.

Here's the example. When I was younger, I was such a wallflower.

I was always too nervous or afraid to talk to other people at a party.

What do you think when you're at a party?

Do you ever notice that there are some people who tend to hang out closer to the

wall, they're not in the middle talking to everyone else.

Instead they prefer to spend time with just one or two people and having in

depth conversations.

That is someone who is a wallflower and it definitely describes me as well.

Now idiom number three is that total opposite -- a social butterfly.

This is someone who loves being at a party.

They love talking to everyone and they're always in the middle of the group.

So which one describes you? A social butterfly or a wallflower?

Now let's take a look at idiom number four -- a smart cookie.

Have you heard that one before?

Here's an example so that you can try to understand the meaning.

My grandmother is a really smart cookie.

She's definitely the brains behind my family's business. What do you think?

She's definitely the brains behind my family's business.

A smart cookie is someone who is really intelligent and clever.

Now, I could also use the idiom,

a tough cookie to describe my grandmother's personality.

She can handle any problem or any challenge that comes her way.

What do you think?

What other words do you think we could use to describe someone who's a tough

cookie?

Definitely someone who is determined and focused.

Someone who isn't easily intimidated or defeated.

All right. Idiom number six is one of my favorites, a mover and a shaker.

For example, George is definitely a mover and a shaker.

He knows everyone in the city and he's involved in so many different projects.

A mover and a shaker is someone who gets things done due to power and influence.

That influence might come from having money or having really strong connections

because they know everyone. Idiom number seven a go getter.

Here's an example. She's a real go getter.

I'm sure she'll be running this company one day. What do you think?

I'm sure she'll be running this company one day.

This is a fantastic idiom to use for someone who is highly motivated and really

ambitious and finally our last idiom for today is someone who is a party animal.

For example, when he was in college, he was a total party animal.

In fact, I don't think he ever went to his classes.

A party animal is definitely someone who loves going to parties may be a little

too much. In fact,

it might be a problem because they don't do their job.

They don't go to work on time or they don't go to their classes.

Now that you have these eight idioms to talk about personalities and English,

I definitely want you to practice. But first, if you enjoyed today's lesson,

I would love to know, and here are three ways that you can tell me. Number one,

be sure to give this video a thumbs up on YouTube and subscribe to this channel

so you never miss a future lesson. Number two,

share it with friends and colleagues on Facebook. And number three.

If one of these idioms describes a friend of yours and you would love to tell

her about it, email her this lesson.

So now let's get to some practice number one.

I really want to know what your favorite idiom is on this list.

Share your favorite with me and use it in an example. Number two,

are there any idioms on this list that you could use to describe yourself?

If so, how would you do that? And finally,

choose one idiom to help you describe a best friend or someone that you work

with. And with that, have fun using these new expressions in your daily English.

Thank you so much for joining me and I'll see you next time for your Confident

English lesson.