Describing a Picture

Hook

You are showing a friend a photo on your phone: “This is my cousin. She’s wearing a red dress and she’s standing next to the cake.” Describing a picture is a classic A1 speaking task, and in exams too. You already have all the tools.

Notice

Read this picture description:

  • In this photo, a man is wearing a blue shirt and black trousers.
  • He‘s standing next to a woman.
  • She‘s wearing a red dress and she‘s smiling.
  • Two children are playing in the park behind them.
  • It’s a sunny day.

Which tenses and which prepositions can you find?

Rule

Describe a picture in four steps:

  1. General: In this photo / picture, there is / there are… · It’s a sunny day.
  2. People and actions: present continuous: A woman is reading. Two boys are running.
  3. Clothes: He’s wearing a green hat.
  4. Where: prepositions: on the left / right, in the middle, in front of, behind, next to.

Finish with an opinion: It looks fun. / I like this photo because…

Watch Out

  • ✗ In this photo a man wear a hat. → ✓ In this photo a man is wearing a hat. (present continuous for pictures)
  • ✗ In the left there is a dog. → ✓ On the left there is a dog.
  • ✗ There are two children plays. → ✓ There are two children playing. / Two children are playing.

Practice

  1. Complete: The man ___ (wear) a green hat.
  2. Complete: The children ___ (play) in the garden.
  3. Combine: woman / stand / next to / the car
  4. Complete: “___ the left, there is a tree.”
  5. Complete: “In the ___ of the picture, there’s a table.”
  6. Start a description: “In this ___, …”
  7. Correct it: “A girl eat an ice cream.”
  8. Write two sentences about what someone near you is wearing.
Show the answers
  1. is wearing
  2. are playing
  3. The woman is standing next to the car.
  4. On
  5. middle
  6. photo / picture
  7. A girl is eating an ice cream.
  8. She’s wearing… He’s wearing… (your own answer)

Your Turn

Find a photo on your phone (or in a magazine). Describe it in 6 sentences using the four steps. Record yourself saying it, then listen back.

Connect

Build picture-description sentences in the right order with our Sentence Builder.

Try our Sentence Builder →

Review clothes and action words with our Vocabulary Quiz (A1).

Try our Vocabulary Quiz →

CEFR A1 — Spoken Production: I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe a picture or scene.

Azizul Hakim
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