In this lesson, you can learn how to describe a picture in English.

What do you see in the picture?

There is a . . .

There’s a . . .

There are some . . .

There’re some . . .

Is there . . .
There is / There are is a common phrase in English, used to indicate that
something “exists”or is in a certain location. The main subject follows the
verb when there is/are is used.

There is an apple on the table.

There are some apples on the table.

Contractions are possible, especially in informal speech.

There’s a fly in my soup.

There’re plenty of oranges left.

1. Find a picture from a book or magazine.

Describe the picture to your partner.

For example,

In this picture, there are two boys.

They are running after a dog.

I think they will go swimming in the lake.

2. Draw a picture of a house or a room.

Describe your picture to your classmates.

For example,

On the right side of the room, there is a small table.

On top of the table, there are some books.

Next to the table, there is a tall lamp.

3. Ask questions about a picture or drawing.

For example,

What are these people doing?

I think they’re having a picnic.

What is (that) (next to the tree)?

It looks like a cow.

1. Summarize What You See

What’s the best way to start your description?

Start with a summary, giving a general description of what’s in the picture and
what you can see.

Let’s do an example.
You want to summarize what you see in one or two simple sentences. How
could you do that?

You could say:

● There are several small boats next to a beach.

● The picture shows a beach, with many small boats in the water nearby.

Simple summaries like this make it easy to understand the general contents of
the picture.

What could you say here?

Here are some possible answers:

● There are three people cooking in a kitchen.

● The picture shows three young friends cooking together.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Here’s another picture:

You need to make a summary of what you see.

You can use these phrases:

● There is…
● There are…
● The picture shows…

2. Talking About Where Things Are

To start giving detail, you can talk about where things are in the picture.

Here’s some useful language to help you do this:

Let’s do an example.

You could say:

● On the left, there’s a girl with dark, curly hair. She’s holding half a
cauliflower.
● In the middle, there’s a man who’s chopping vegetables.
● At the bottom, we can see a counter with many different vegetables on
it.

A Checkup
At the Doctor's Office
Describe the picture below. Check the Helpful Vocabulary section if you need help.

Helpful Vocabulary
Music on the Road
Describe the picture below. Check the Helpful Vocabulary section if you need help.

Helpful Vocabulary
A Sick Pet
Describe the picture below. Check the Helpful Vocabulary section if you need help.

A Day in the Life of a Business Person

Discussing the Details
Describe the picture below. Check the Helpful Vocabulary section if you need help.
Skyscrapers
Describe the picture below. Check the Helpful Vocabulary section if you need help.

Helpful Vocabulary