Speaking questions - the local area - Foundation
Photo-based speaking task
When describing a photo, the first thing to do is say what you can see. Try to think about some things that you could mention, eg who is in the photo, what they are doing, where they are and what other things can you see.
Here are some useful phrases to help describe a photo:
| en esta foto hay ... | in this photo, there is/there are ... |
| en primer plano ... | in the foreground ... |
| al fondo ... | in the background ... |
| la foto trata de ... | the photo is about ... |
| se puede ver ... | you can see ... |
| veo ... | I can see ... |
| a la derecha/izquierda ... | on the right/left ... |
| en esta foto hay ... |
| in this photo, there is/there are ... |
| en primer plano ... |
| in the foreground ... |
| al fondo ... |
| in the background ... |
| la foto trata de ... |
| the photo is about ... |
| se puede ver ... |
| you can see ... |
| veo ... |
| I can see ... |
| a la derecha/izquierda ... |
| on the right/left ... |
Look carefully at the photo above. How would you answer the following questions?
- ¿Qué hay en la foto?
- ¿Es aburrido vivir en un pueblo? ... ¿Por qué (no)?
- ¿Qué hiciste en tu zona el fin de semana pasado?
Question
How would you answer these questions?
Click to listen to some example answers.
Transcript:
- ¿Qué hay en la foto?
- En la foto se puede ver una calle con tres casas. También hay cinco coches. A la izquierda hay unos árboles. Hace buen tiempo. Veo una familia con niños pequeños y un grupo de adultos que están hablando.
- ¿Es aburrido vivir en un pueblo? ¿Por qué o por qué no?
- En mi opinión, es bastante aburrido vivir en un pueblo porque es demasiado tranquilo. Personalmente prefiero la ciudad porque no hay mucho para los jóvenes en un pueblo.
- ¿Qué hiciste en tu zona el fin de semana pasado?
- Fui al cine con mis amigos y también fuimos de compras al nuevo centro comercial. Tuvimos que coger el autobús porque estaba bastante lejos. Lo pasamos bien.
Translation:
- What is in the photo?
- In the photo you can see a street with three houses. Also, there are five cars. On the left, there are some trees. It's nice weather. I see a family with small children and a group of adults who are talking.
- Is it boring living in a village? ... Why or why not?
- In my opinion, it's quite boring living in a village because it's too quiet. Personally, I prefer the town because there is not much for young people in a village.
- What did you do in your local area last weekend?
- I went to the cinema with my friends and also we went shopping in the new shopping centre. We had to catch the bus because it was quite far away. We had a good time.
Question
What other questions might you be asked? Click to listen to some potential questions and answers.
Transcript:
- Qué tiempo hace normalmente en tu región?
- Hace bastante mal tiempo la mayoría del tiempo. No hace mucho calor y llueve mucho. No me gusta el clima en este país.
- ¿Es mejor vivir en el campo o en la costa?
- Para mí es mejor vivir en la costa porque me encanta ir a la playa. Me gusta nadar en el mar y jugar al voleibol con mis amigos.
Translation:
- What's the weather normally like in your region?
- It's bad weather most of the time. It's not very warm and it rains a lot. I don't like the climate in this country.
- Is it better to live in the countryside or on the coast?
- For me, it's better to live on the coast because I love going to the beach. I like swimming in the sea and playing volleyball with my friends.
