Picture description word list

В рамках ВПР в 7 классе, да и ранее в программах обучения английскому языку часто встречается задание по описанию картинки. «Ничего сложного!» — скажете вы. А вот и нет! Просто сказать «I see trees so green, red roses too…» — уже недостаточно. Оказывается, есть определённые шаблоны описания картинок, которым следует придерживаться. Об этом ниже.

Шаблон описания картинки на английском

Описание картинки можно схематично представить, как ответы на вопросы:

• Где и когда? (where and when the photo was taken)
• Кто/что? (whatwho is in the photo)
• Какой?
• Что делает и как? (what is happening)
• Ваше отношение к фото

Данные компоненты можно менять местами в зависимости от вашего желания и конкретной картинки. Давайте разберем каждый компонент в отдельности.

Где и когда?

В начале описания неплохо бы рассказать об истории картинки / фото, если вы ее знаете. Когда фотография была сделана? При каких обстоятельствах.

Ответ можно начать следующим образом:

• You know, I am fond of photography and I keep my best photos in my album. Please, have a look at this one. I took this photo last year in Greece. — Вы знаете, я увлекаюсь фотографией и храню свои лучшие фото в альбоме. Пожалуйста, взгляните на этот снимок. Я сделал его в прошлом году в Греции.

Если вы не знаете деталей, то можете предположить:

• It was (probably) taken inside / outside. — Возможно, она сделана в помещении / на улице.
• In this picture the action is taking place in (the house; the living room; the gym; the swimming pool; the theme park etc.). — На этой картинке действие происходит в (доме, зале, спортзале, бассейне, парке и т.д.).
• The photo/picture shows — Фото/картинка показывает.
• It wastaken by/in  — Она была сделана. Она была нарисована.
• It’s a black-and-white/coloured photo. — Это черно-белая/цветная картинка.

Кто/что?

Начинаем с основного акцента картинки. Что на первом плане? Что на второстепенном?

• In the picture I can see..  — На картинке я могу видеть…
• There’s / There are — Здесь есть
• In the background you can see — На заднем плане вы можете видеть…
• In the foreground there is … — На переднем плане…

Можно использовать более сложные фразы с предлогами места:

• at the top/bottom of the picture — наверху/внизу картинки
• in the middle of the picture — в середине картинки
• on the left/right of the picture — слева/cправа картинки
• next to — рядом
• in front of — спереди
• behind — сзади
• near — рядом
• on top of — наверху
• under — под

Если что-то непонятно, можно использовать фразы:

• It looks like a — Это выглядит как…
• It might be a — Это возможно…
• Hecouldbe — Он мог бы быть
• Maybe, it’s a — Возможно это…

Какой?

Тут перечисляем все характеристики внешности людей и свойства предметов, изображенных на картинке.

• The girl / boy looks like she/he is about … years old. — Девочке / мальчику около … лет.
• She / he has … eyes and dark / fair hair — У неё / него … глаза и тёмные / светлые волосы.
• The girl / boy is wearing … — Девочка / мальчик одет в …
• I guess she / he is quiet and kind. — Мне кажется, что она / он спокойный и добрый.

Описание одежды можно скомбинировать с описание погоды.

• It looks like a sunny day outside. — Похоже, на улице солнечный день.
  
• I don’t think it’s very warm though. They both are wearing thick sweaters. — Хотя не думаю, что здесь очень тепло. На них обоих толстые свитера.
• It’s sunny though I can see their shadows on the ground. — Солнечно, хотя я вижу их тени на земле.
• I think it must be warm weather. — Думаю, сейчас теплая погода.
• The sun’s shining. — Светит солнце.
• The gold court looks very green. — Золотой двор выглядит очень зеленым.
• I can see trees in the background and a bit of blue sky. — Я вижу деревья на заднем плане и немного голубого неба.
• It looks very peaceful. — Выглядит очень спокойно.

Что делает и как?

Все действия описываем во времени Present Continuous:

• The man is …smiling.- Мужчина улыбается.
• The people are …working. — Люди работают.
• It’s raining. — Идет дождь
• Looking at these people / this girl / this boy I get the impression that they are/ she is / he is … (having dinner; watching a film; doing their homework etc.) — Глядя на этих людей/эту девочку/этого мальчика создаётся впечатление, что они/она/он… (смотрит фильм, делает домашнюю работу и т.д.).

Ваше отношение к фото

• I like the picture because the atmosphere is peaceful. — Мне понравилось картинка, потому что атмосфера дружелюбная.
• I like this picture as it is bright and colorful, full of positive emotions, and it makes me think of summer / winter / autumn / spring. — Мне понравилось картинка, потому что она яркая и красочная, полна позитивных эмоций, и напоминает мне лето, зиму, осень, весну и т.д.

Примеры описания картинки / фото на английском

Вариант 1

In this picture I see a young woman lying on the grass, smiling and listening to music with headphones.

She seems to be in her early twenties. She’s got long blond hair and a charming smile. She’s wearing a white T-shirt. She could be listening to some energetic rock music, because she looks happy and engaged. Maybe she is listening to the best album of her favourite singer and is singing along. By the way, it can be even not music at all. She could be listening to a humorous audiobook that makes her smile. She may be listening to an audiocourse, learning a foreign language and trying to repeat the phrase after the speaker.

I can see an engagement ring on her finger. Perhaps she has just got engaged and is trying to choose the song for the first dance with her fiancé during the wedding ceremony. I know how hard it can be because I’m getting married in August and I’ve been listening to various songs, trying to choose those to be played on my wedding day. I fall asleep with my headphones on and spend my working hours in a similar pair of headphones, not to irritate my fellow-workers with my music.

Перевод

На этой картинке я вижу девушку, лежащую на траве, улыбающуюся и слушающую музыку в наушниках.

На вид ей двадцать с небольшим. У нее длинные светлые волосы и очаровательная улыбка. Она одета в белую футболку. Возможно, девушка слушает энергичную рок-музыку, потому что-она выглядит счастливой и поглощенной музыкой. Может быть, она слушает лучший альбом любимого исполнителя и подпевает. Кстати, она может слушать вовсе и не музыку. Может быть, она слушает юмористическую аудиокнигу и именно поэтому улыбается. Возможно она слушает аудиокурс для изучения иностранного языка и пытается повторить фразу за диктором.

На пальце у нее кольцо, подаренное в честь помолвки. Возможно, она недавно обручилась и выбирает песню для первого танца молодоженов во время свадебной церемонии. По себе знаю, как это трудно, потому что я выхожу замуж в августе и слушаю разные песни, пытаясь выбрать те, которые будут звучать на моей свадьбе. Я засыпаю в наушниках и сижу в наушниках на работе, чтобы не надоедать коллегам своей музыкой.

Вариант 2

This picture shows a seaside resort in summer. The weather is hot that’s why the beach is full of people. There are no clouds in the sky and it looks light blue. Аs for the sea, it is a bit rough, I can see the waves, so the light wind is probably blowing.

In the foreground just a bit to the right there is a big merry-go-round. I can guess that a lot of children are riding horses there. They may be laughing, shouting, in other words, they are having fun.

Another kind of attraction is situated to the left of the first one. It looks smaller and at first sight you can suppose that it is a merry-go-round, too. But if you look closer, you can see that it might be a kiosk with some food or souvenirs because people are standing around probably looking for something to buy.

The beach is very crowded. The people are lying on the sand and swimming in the sea. In the background I can make out the outline of a white pier which stands out against the blue sky.

As for me, I enjoyed a lot describing this cheerful picture. This sunny beach makes me feel optimistic because in a few weeks I hope I will be enjoying swimming in the sea, too.

Перевод

На этой фотографии изображен морской курорт летом. Погода жаркая, поэтому на пляже много людей. На небе нет облаков, оно выглядит светло-голубым. А что касается моря, то здесь немного неспокойно, я вижу волны, так что, наверное, дует легкий ветерок.

На переднем плане, чуть правее, большая карусель. Могу предположить, что там много детей катаются на лошадях. Они могут смеяться, кричать, другими словами, им весело.

Еще одна достопримечательность находится слева от первой. Выглядит меньше, и на первый взгляд можно подумать, что это тоже карусель. Но если вы присмотритесь, то увидите, что это может быть киоск с едой или сувенирами, потому что люди стоят вокруг, вероятно, ищут что-нибудь купить.

Пляж очень многолюдный. Люди лежат на песке и купаются в море. На заднем плане я могу различить контур белого пирса, который выделяется на фоне голубого неба.

Что касается меня, мне очень понравилось описывать эту веселую картину. Этот солнечный пляж вселяет во меня оптимизм, потому что я надеюсь, что через несколько недель я тоже буду получать удовольствие от купания в море.

Вариант 3

In this picture, I can see people giving gifts to each other. They must be a family: a couple with two children and an older couple, who are probably a grandmother and a grandfather. It must be Christmas time as there is a Christmas tree in the background on the right.

In the middle of the picture, we can see a girl and her grandmother. The woman is wearing glasses and has gray hair. She hasn’t received a gift yet, she is giving a big box to a boy, sitting next to her. He is looking gratefully at his granny.

His parents on the right side are looking into each other’s eyes and smiling.

The girl is opening her gift box and seems to be very excited to see what is inside.

On the left, there is a man, probably a husband of the older woman. He is waiting for his turn to give his present.

All people are wearing light-colored clothes on top. The men are standing, the rest are sitting on a cozy sofa in a spacious, light room.

Everybody seems to be happy and enjoy the family moment.

Перевод

На этой картинке я вижу, как люди дарят друг другу подарки. Они должны быть семьей: пара с двумя детьми и пара постарше, вероятно, бабушка и дедушка. Должно быть, Рождество, так как на заднем плане справа изображена рождественская елка.

В середине картинки мы видим девочку и ее бабушку. Женщина в очках, у нее седые волосы. Она еще не получила подарка, она дарит большую коробку мальчику, сидящему рядом с ней. Он с благодарностью смотрит на свою бабушку.

Его родители справа смотрят друг другу в глаза и улыбаются.

Девушка открывает свою подарочную коробку и, кажется, очень взволнована, увидев, что внутри.

Слева мужчина, вероятно, муж пожилой женщины. Он ждет своей очереди сделать подарок.

Сверху все люди одеты в светлую одежду. Мужчины стоят, остальные сидят на уютном диване в просторной светлой комнате.

Кажется, что все счастливы и наслаждаются семейным моментом.

Описание картинки в ЕГЭ

Описание картинки для ЕГЭ по сути мало чем отличается от шаблона выше. Единственное, дополнительно могут стоять вопросы про личное отношение к фото, почему вы его выбрали и т.п.

Вот несколько вариантов описания фото для ЕГЭ по английскому языку.

Вариант 1

Well, I have chosen photo number 1. Look at this. I took it last year when I have a big holiday with my friends in Phuket. In the picture you can see a very popular beach Nai Harn. There is clear blue water, green mountains and yellow sand. There we walked with my friends Anna and Viktor and enjoyed such a sunny and hot day. I decided to take this photo because it is a really wonderful place for me. I wanted to keep this time in my memory. I would like to show you this picture because I know that you like sea and beautiful beaches. Maybe it will inspire you to go to Phuket. That’s all I wanted to say.

Перевод

Что ж, я выбрала фото №1. Посмотри на это. Я сделал его в прошлом году, когда у меня большой отпуск с друзьями на Пхукете. На фото очень популярный пляж Най Харн. Здесь чистая голубая вода, зеленые горы и желтый песок. Там мы гуляли с моими друзьями Анной и Виктором и наслаждались таким солнечным и жарким днем. Я решил сделать это фото, потому что это действительно чудесное место для меня. Я хотел сохранить это время в своей памяти. Я хочу показать вам эту фотографию, потому что знаю, что вам нравится море и красивые пляжи. Может быть, это вдохновит вас поехать на Пхукет. У меня все.

Вариант 2

I’ve chosen photo number 1/2/3.
You know that I am a regular traveler. From time to time, I visit exotic countries where I usually go windsurfing, diving, and the like.

Well, this photo I took last year when I was on my holidays in Vietnam. That was a wonderful trip full of extreme actions and unforgettable experience. During my trip I was taking lots of pictures, but this one is my favorite.

You can see wonderful yellow fish in the foreground of this photo. In the background you can see rocks of various size and shape.

Actually, nothing much is happening in the photo. Some fish are swimming by in the depth of the see. Besides, the sun is trying to shine through but only some specks of light can be seen.

Why do I keep this photo in my album? Well, I have a lot of pictures from underwater but this one is special. The fish look very unusual and admirable, and I keep this photo as a striking demonstration of diversity and uniqueness of sea life.

I decided to show the picture to you because I’d like to share my impressions from diving with you. I want you to see how beautiful the bottom of the sea may be and what unusual things you are faced there with.

Well, I hope you understand my feelings and how much I’m into traveling and diving. By the way, next year I am going to visit Vietnam one more time. Don’t you want to join me? If yes, then we will discuss everything next time. Now we have to go to school.

Перевод

Я выбрала фото номер 1/2/3.
Знаете, я регулярно путешествую. Время от времени я езжу в экзотические страны, где обычно занимаюсь виндсерфингом, дайвингом и тому подобным.

Ну, это фото я сделал в прошлом году, когда отдыхал во Вьетнаме. Это была прекрасная поездка, полная экстремальных действий и незабываемых впечатлений. Во время поездки я делал много снимков, но этот — мой самый любимый.

На переднем плане фотографии вы видите чудесных желтых рыбок. На заднем плане можно увидеть камни разного размера и формы.

Собственно на фото ничего особенного не происходит. В глубине моря проплывает какая-то рыба. Кроме того, солнце пытается просвечивать, но видны лишь некоторые блики.

Почему я храню это фото в моем альбоме? Ну, у меня много фотографий из-под воды, но эта особенная. Рыбы выглядят очень необычно и достойно восхищения, и я сохраняю это фото как яркую демонстрацию разнообразия и неповторимости морской жизни.

Я решил показать вам картинку, потому что хочу поделиться с вами своими впечатлениями от дайвинга. Я хочу, чтобы вы увидели, насколько красивым может быть морское дно и с какими необычными вещами вы там сталкиваетесь.

Что ж, надеюсь, вы понимаете мои чувства и то, как я люблю путешествовать и нырять. Кстати, в следующем году я собираюсь еще раз посетить Вьетнам. Разве ты не хочешь присоединиться ко мне? Если да, то все обсудим в следующий раз. Теперь пора в школу.

Вариант 3

So I choose photo number 2.

This photo was taken last summer when I and my father went to our favourite lake to do some fishing during the weekend.
In the foreground of the picture we can see me and my dad smiling as we have caught the biggest fish I have ever seen. Here I am wearing light clothes as that summer was extremely hot. In the background of the picture we can see an almost deserted beach as only local people know about this place.

In this picture my father is sitting on his knee while I am standing. We are holding the fish we caught several minutes before. The sun is shining so brightly that my father is wearing sunglasses.

I decided to keep this photo so that I could remember that amazing weekend and that great experience. I can open it and remember every detail of it any time I want.

So as you are choosing what to do on the forthcoming weekend, I decided to show you this picture. Maybe you will be inspired to do something like that. That is all I wanted to say.

Перевод

Итак, я выбираю фото №2.

Это фото было сделано прошлым летом, когда мы с отцом пошли на наше любимое озеро, чтобы порыбачить на выходных.
На переднем плане картины мы видим меня и моего отца, улыбающихся, когда мы поймали самую большую рыбу, которую я когда-либо видел. Здесь я ношу легкую одежду, потому что то лето было очень жарким. На заднем плане картины мы видим почти безлюдный пляж, о котором знают только местные жители.

На этой фотографии мой отец сидит на коленях, а я стою. Держим рыбу, которую выловили несколько минут назад. Солнце светит так ярко, что мой отец носит солнцезащитные очки.

Я решил сохранить это фото, чтобы запомнить те замечательные выходные и те замечательные впечатления. Я могу открыть его и вспомнить каждую деталь в любое время, когда захочу.

Итак, пока вы выбираете, чем заняться в предстоящие выходные, я решил показать вам эту картинку. Может быть, вас вдохновят на что-то подобное. Это все, что я хотел сказать.

How to describe a picture in English?

You could be asked to talk about a picture in the IELTS test. Or in any other test.

You may also need to talk about a picture as part of a presentation or in conversation.

It’s a useful skill to have in English. It helps you to describe things you can see very clearly to others.

So, let’s take a look at how to do it.

Introducing The Main Picture

When talking about the picture or photograph, the first thing you want to say is a general description of it.

You do not need to go into detail immediately. Just introduce what the picture is of — or who it is of — and say one or two sentences about it.

So, if you were talking about the picture above, you might say:

This is a picture of a man. He is jumping in the air and it looks like he is on a beach somewhere.

That is a perfect introduction to the picture. Even if we cannot see the picture, we have a very clear idea of what the picture is in our mind.

You could also say:

This picture shows a man in a pair of shorts. He is on the beach and he is jumping up very high.

If you are introducing a photograph that you took yourself, then you can say this:

I took this picture when I was on vacation with my friend in Greece. He was feeling very happy that day, laughing and jumping around on the beach. So I took a picture of him just as he jumped in the air.

You don’t need to think of details or make it too complex.

Just give a brief introduction of what the picture is, who the person is, what they are doing and where they are.

That is all you need to say at this stage.

The Main Subject

Now you can talk about the main subject of the picture in detail.

The main subject of the picture could be a person or an object. It could be an animal too.

Usually, a picture has a subject. That is the next thing you talk about.

If the Subject is a Person or People

If the subject is a person or people, you need to describe them.

Talk about:

• what the people are doing
• what they look like
• the appearance on their face
• the clothes they are wearing

If you know the person in the picture — or you took the photograph — you need to add more information.

• who the person is
• when the picture was taken
• where you were
• what you were doing

So, if we use the first picture as an example we could say the following:

He is a young black man. He is jumping up high. He looks very happy because he is smiling and has a cheerful expression on his face.

He is just wearing a pair of shorts and it looks like he is on a beach somewhere.

Now if you took the picture, you could say this:

This is a picture of my friend Alex. We were on holiday in Greece last summer and we went to the beach. We were walking on the beach and Alex started jumping around on the sand.

As he jumped into the air, I took a picture of him.

But It Could Be A Picture Of An Object

If it’s an object you need to think about the following things:

• what object can you see?
• can you name the object?
• can you describe the object?
• what about the surroundings of the object?

Take a look at the picture above of the house below.

How to talk about this?

We could say:

This is a picture of a red house. It looks like it is in the middle of a field, probably the countryside. The house is red and the windows are painted white. The house looks kind of small and it also looks empty. I don’t think anyone lives in this house.

In this description, I mention the red house — so we know what it is and what colour it is.

I mention the surroundings — a field and maybe the countryside.

Then I give more description of the house — the colour, the windows and the size.

I also say that I think the house is empty. It doesn’t matter if the house is empty or not — this is just my opinion.

But if I took the picture, I could add more detail.

I could say:

• where I took the picture
• when I took the picture
• why I took the picture

In short, add a little story to the description.

It could sound something like this:

I was walking near my parents’ house. They live in a small town and as I walked across these fields, I saw this house in the middle of nowhere.

It was in the summer, and I just looked at this strange house and had a strong desire to take a picture of it.

But What If The Picture Is Of An Animal?

If the picture is of an animal, you can use similar ways you use to describe a person.

• what the animal is doing
• what it looks like
• the appearance on the animal’s face

Now take a look at the picture of the dog below.

We could talk about it like this:

This is a picture of a dog. I don’t know what kind of dog it is, but it has very short hair and has a light brown colour.

It looks like someone has caught the attention of the dog and it’s raising its paw at the person. Its ears are raised too, like the dog is excited or listening to something.

In this description, I say what the animal is — a dog.

Then a give a brief description of the dog — its hair and colour.

Then I talk about what the dog is doing and why. I also mention the dog’s ears.

If you took the picture yourself, you need to add some elements of story.

• what relationship do you have with the animal? (People often take pictures of their own pets)
• where you were at the time of the picture
• when you took it

It might look something like this:

This is my dog, Bingo. Me and my brother were playing with him in my backyard a few weeks ago and I took this picture just as he raised his paw. My brother was about to throw a ball for Bingo.

Now we have more of a story attached to the picture of the dog.

We know the dog’s name and we know he is male.

Plus, we have some more detail of where it happened and who was there.

Talking About The Background

Once you have described the main subject — the person, the object or the animal — then you have to describe the background.

You can give a general description of the background — just as you do with the main subject of the picture — then you can go into detail.

So if we look at the man jumping on the beach again, what can we see in the background?

You can describe the background generally like this:

In the background, there is a beach and a large part of the picture is the blue sky. There are some clouds in the sky. And if we look at the beach, we can see some people in the far distance.

That is all you need to say. You mention the main things you can see in the background:

• the beach
• the sky
• some clouds
• people on the beach

No need to talk about anything else at this stage.

Let’s look at the picture of the red house again.

Now this picture is a little different. Because we need to talk about the background and the foreground.

The foreground is the part of the picture that is at the front.

In this picture of the house, we need to talk about that too.

So we could say:

In the background, it is mostly sky. The sky looks overcast and grey. And the house is standing on a field. We can see green fields all around the house and in the foreground too.

And at the very front of the picture — out of focus — there are some flowers.

And finally, let’s look at the picture of the dog. There is not much to see, but we still have to describe what is there.

We could say:

In the background, it looks like a wooden fence and a gate behind the dog. And the dog is sitting on a section of concrete. Maybe it is a backyard of someone’s house. There are some cracks in parts of the concrete.

That is all we need to say for each of the three pictures. When you first start to describe the background, just give a brief introduction to what you can see. It is enough.

The next thing we can do is talk about it in detail.

How To Talk About The Details

Once you give your introduction to the background, you can talk about it in more detail.

Let’s look at the man on the beach again.

To talk about the sky might be a little difficult. But we can say what we think or feel about it.

And we can add some more detail when talking about the people on the beach. And if we look clearly, we can see the sea and maybe two or three boats on the sea.

So we could say this:

The sky is very blue, and there are very few clouds. I think this picture must have been taken in the summer. It just looks hot to me.

And there are quite a few people in the background. I can see one man lying down on the sand — maybe he is sunbathing.

The other people are wearing beach clothes — shorts and t-shirts.

And in the far distance, I can see the sea. And on the sea, there are two or three boats, it is not very clear. One boat looks like it has a very high sail.

If you cannot see something very clearly in the picture, don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if you say two or three boats, for example. No one is going to correct you on this.

Just say what you can see.

What about the picture of the red house?

Again, just try to describe what you can see.

You might say something like this:

The house looks like it is built on a ridge on one of the fields. The ground rises up slightly in front of the house. And in the background, it looks like the land is rising down again in the opposite direction.

There is nothing on the grass. Only grass. No flowers or anything else there.

But there are flowers in the foreground. They are white. I don’t know what kind of flowers they are, as they are out of focus.

And between the grass and the flowers, it looks like a path. The ground is grey, and it goes from one side of the picture to the other.

Notice in this section, I said what is not on the grass — nothing, only grass, no flowers or anything else.

It is perfectly acceptable to say what is not in the background, but you cannot just say there is nothing here, nothing there, nothing over there.

The way I say there is nothing is that I focus on one subject of the picture — the grass — and then say what I cannot see on it. Because often we do see things on grass — flowers, birds and the occasional cow.

So that covers how to talk about the main subject and the background. But all three of these pictures are quite simple — just one main object and a plain and simple background with not much going on.

What if the picture was more complex?

How To Describe A Picture with More Complex Details

How to describe a picture that has more content and more details?

Take a look at the picture below.

Notice all the different things in it?

Think about these questions before you begin to talk about the picture.

• what is this a picture of?
• how could you describe this picture in two or three sentences?
• what is the main subject of the picture?
• what is in the background?
• what is in the foreground?

Let’s try to answer all of these questions now.

What Is This A Picture Of?

This is a picture of a woman in a kitchen. The kitchen is white and very modern and has a lot of space. The woman is making something on the stove.

So that’s a basic description of what we can see in the picture. This is an ideal introduction, and it tells us everything we need to know for the beginning.

What Is The Main Subject Of The Picture?

There is a woman in the centre of the picture. She is standing behind a stove and she is stirring something in a pot on top of the stove. She seems happy as she is smiling. And she is wearing a thick grey cardigan.

That tells us a great deal about the main subject. It’s very clear and simple.

What Is In The Background?

Now this is where it gets a little complicated…

Unlike the previous pictures which have a very simple background, this picture has more things in it — plus they are in different parts of the picture.

This is where we use phrases like:

• to the left
• to the right
• at the bottom
• at the top
• in the top right corner

Let’s look at an example of how to describe the background.

In the background of the picture, we can see the kitchen. Directly behind the woman is a counter — and on the counter is a sink.

There are also some books on the counter. To the far left of the picture, we can see a few books stacked together. There is a small orange-coloured object holding the books in place.

And at the other end of the counter, there are a few more books leaning against a cabinet.

Above the counter are some cupboards. They all have white doors. It looks like there are five of them in total. There are some more cupboards below the counter.

The sink looks like it is made of stainless steel. We can see the tap above the sink.

In the background, to the right, there is a cabinet. In the cabinet is an oven and what looks like a microwave oven, too. They both look like very modern designs and they are both silver.

That gives a very clear description of what we can see in the background of the picture.

Notice that the description is all in order of location. It doesn’t jump from one part of the background to another.

So it talks in order of:

• the counter
• what is on the counter
• the left of the counter
• the right of the counter
• above the counter
• below the counter
• the sink
• the right of the background and what we can see there

This is the best way to describe details in a picture. Do not jump from one part of the picture to another as it sounds confusing to the listener.

What Is In The Foreground?

And then you describe the foreground. It doesn’t matter if you describe the background or the foreground first. But make sure you stick to one part and describe all of that before moving to the next part.

You can use the same phrases as you used to talk about the background.

Let’s take a look at an example:

In the foreground, there is a shelf. It is white and l think it is made of marble.

There are a few objects on the shelf.

To the far left, there is a bowl of lemons. The bowl is white and there are many lemons in it — maybe more than ten. Behind the bowl of lemons, and to the left, is an orange-coloured pepper mill.

And then to the far right of the shelf, there are some green vegetables. The vegetables look very leafy.

Just to the left of the vegetables, and closer to the middle of the shelf, are three ceramic pots. They are all white and have light-brown lids.

Now there may be some vocabulary that you don’t know in the above description — words such as:

• marble
• peppermill
• leafy
• ceramic
• lids

But you should get a clear idea of how to use phrases such as:

• far left
• behind
• to the left
• far right
• middle

These are the kind of words and phrases that can help you explain where things are in the picture.

And if you follow the steps like that, you should be able to describe any picture at all!

But what if you don’t know the name of the objects you are describing?

How To Describe Things You Don’t Know The Name Of

If you see something in the picture and you know what it is in your own language, but you don’t know how to say it in English — don’t worry!

You can talk around it.

This gives you the opportunity to talk more and use more English. This is perfect if you are doing the IELTS speaking test!

Let’s take the picture of the kitchen and apply this technique.

In the last part, we talked about the foreground. Let’s try again — but this time we will talk around the objects we don’t know the name of.

In the foreground, there is a shelf. It is white. I don’t know the name of the material the shelf is made from, but it is a kind of stone. People often use it in their home as it looks beautiful.

To the far left of the picture, there is a bowl. Inside the bowl is a lot of fruit. I can’t remember the name of this fruit, but it is yellow and has a very bitter taste. People often use it for cooking and you can make tea with it as well. Inside the bowl are ten of these fruits.

And behind the bowl is another thing I don’t know the name of. You can often find this in a kitchen. People use it to make pepper into very small pieces. You turn the top and the pepper comes out the bottom in tiny little pieces.

Do you get the idea?

By describing things this way, you will find that you can actually talk for much longer.

And the examiner may give you extra marks for doing this too!

Talk About Your Impressions And Thoughts Of The Picture

A good thing to do when describing any picture is to give your thoughts on the picture.

There is no right or wrong answer when doing this, as you are just expressing your personal opinions. But it is a valuable thing to do, especially if you are in the IELTS speaking test.

Let’s go through all the pictures and look at some examples.

The Beach Picture

I really like this picture. I like the way the man is jumping in the air and I like the big smile on his face. It just looks like a really happy and positive photograph.

And it looks like really nice weather in the picture too. It looks like it must be a hot day and the sun shining brightly.

No wonder the man is smiling!

The Red House Picture

This place looks very bleak to me. Even on a nice summer day, it seems like it would be desolate and not an inviting place.

And the red house is empty, which makes the place seem even more bleak.

In the daytime, this place may be okay, but I don’t think I would like to be there at night. I imagine the house would be pretty scary at night.

The Dog Picture

The dog in the picture looks so nice. His fur looks really silky. I bet he’s a really friendly dog, I just have a good feeling about him.

The Kitchen Picture

This picture doesn’t look like a real photograph at all. It looks like advertising. No one has a kitchen like that in real life. And the woman is wearing a thick cardigan in the kitchen. Do people wear clothes like that if they are cooking? It doesn’t seem right.

And the rest of the kitchen is so neat and tidy. My kitchen is not like that. I don’t know any kitchen that looks like that!

Remember — you don’t have to say what you think the examiner wants to hear. You can just be honest and say what comes into your mind.

Notice in the dog picture description, the speaker is saying things about the dog — how they imagine the dog to be in real life.

Of course, they don’t know the dog, so how could they know?

But it doesn’t matter. You can just give your opinion of what you think the dog is like in your imagination.

Describe The Picture By Telling A Story

If you are showing someone a picture or making a presentation using a photograph that you took yourself, then you can tell a story about it.

People love to hear stories, and by showing a picture that you took yourself, this is the perfect opportunity to tell the story.

We looked at some short story introductions earlier, but let’s look in more detail.

The Beach Picture

I took this picture of my friend Alex when we went on holiday last year. We went to this great beach, and the weather was just fantastic.

Alex was in a really good mood that day and was jumping around on the sand.

As he jumped in the air, I grabbed my camera and took a picture of him. It just shows him at the right angle as he is smiling and leaping in the air.

The Dog Picture

I was with my friend and my dog, Bingo. It was a few weeks ago, and Bingo wanted to play with us. My friend had a ball and threw it at Bingo for him to catch it.

He was just about to throw the ball, and I took a picture of Bingo.

The Red House Picture

I was out in a field near where my friend lives. He lives in the countryside and this house sat in the middle of a field. I asked him if anyone lived there and he said no. He said the house has been empty for as long as he can remember.

It didn’t look very inviting. There was no glass in the windows and inside was completely empty.

If it is your picture, you must have a story to tell about it. And if you are doing a presentation using a photograph, then telling a story to accompany it is a great thing to do.

Please read my article on How To Tell A Story for more advice about using story and storytelling.

Conclusion

Describing a picture or photograph should be easy. As long as you describe the picture in order, you should be fine.

Just remember the order:

• the main subject
• the background
• the foreground
• the details of other objects, people or things in the picture
• your thoughts or opinions
• a story

If you follow these steps, you should be able to describe or talk about any picture in English.

Take a look at some pictures on the internet and try to describe them by yourself right now. The more you practice, the more you will improve.

And remember — let me know your thoughts in the comments below!