Describing Pictures in German: Phrases, Structure, and the B2 Trick

You describe a picture in German in three steps: first the overall impression ("Das Bild zeigt..."), then the description from front to back ("Im Vordergrund... im Hintergrund..."), then the part that makes the difference at B2: assumption and interpretation ("Es könnte sein, dass...", "Die Person wirkt..."). Whoever only lists what they see stays at A2. The leap to speculation is the trick.

By Ela Zakrzewska, telc B2 examiner for 20+ years.

Most learners describe a picture by listing what they see. Then they freeze.

"Auf dem Bild sehe ich einen Mann." And then?

It is exactly at this "and then" that your level is decided. Listing what is visible is something anyone can do from A2. What lifts you to B2 is the next step: speculate, interpret, react. This article shows you the structure, the phrases for each step, and the one trick most people skip.

  1. The three steps of a good picture description
  2. Step 1: the overall impression
  3. Step 2: describe from front to back
  4. Step 3: speculate and interpret, the B2 trick
  5. The mistake that keeps you at A2
  6. Your phrase set to take away
  7. And for the telc oral exam?
  8. What you can do now

The three steps of a good picture description

A good picture description always follows the same order:

  1. Overall impression: what is this even about? One or two sentences.
  2. Description: what you see, ordered from front to back or left to right.
  3. Assumption and interpretation: what could it mean? How does it feel? What do you think?

Almost anyone can do steps 1 and 2. Step 3 is the one that decides the level. Let us go through them in order.

Step 1: the overall impression

Do not start with details. Set the frame first, in one or two sentences.

  • „Das Bild zeigt / stellt ... dar." (The picture shows / depicts...)
  • „Auf dem Foto ist ... zu sehen." (In the photo you can see...)
  • „Es handelt sich um ein Foto / eine Grafik, die ..." (This is a photo / a graphic that...)
  • „Im Mittelpunkt steht ..." (At the centre is...)
  • „Das Bild wurde vermutlich ... aufgenommen." (The picture was probably taken...)

That way your listener knows immediately what it is about, before you go into detail.

Step 2: describe from front to back

Now the details, but ordered. Describe in one direction instead of jumping around the picture.

Place and position

  • „Im Vordergrund ... / Im Hintergrund ..." (In the foreground... / In the background...)
  • „In der Mitte / In der Bildmitte ..." (In the middle / In the centre of the picture...)
  • „Auf der linken / rechten Seite ..." (On the left / right side...)
  • „Oben / unten ..." (At the top / bottom...)
  • „Rechts / links davon ..." (To the right / left of it...)

Verbs instead of always "sein"

This is a quiet but effective upgrade. Instead of "there is...", use:

  • befindet sich, steht, liegt, hängt, sitzt (is located, stands, lies, hangs, sits)
  • ist ... zu sehen, man kann ... erkennen, man sieht (can be seen, one can make out, one sees)

People and details

  • „Die Person trägt ... und wirkt ..." (The person is wearing... and seems...)
  • „Die Farben sind kräftig / dezent / kontrastreich." (The colours are bold / muted / high-contrast.)

A systematic order sounds confident. Jumping around sounds unsure, even when your vocabulary is good.

Step 3: speculate and interpret, the B2 trick

Here is the decisive step, and the one most people skip.

At B2 it is not enough to say what you see. You have to show that you can interpret: speculate, read meaning, react. And for that you need certain structures, modal verbs and the Konjunktiv.

Express an assumption

  • „Es könnte sein, dass ..." (It could be that...)
  • „Es scheint, als ob ... (+ Konjunktiv II)" (It seems as if...)
  • „Es sieht so aus, als ob ..." (It looks as though...)
  • „Die Person scheint ... zu sein." (The person seems to be...)
  • „Vermutlich / möglicherweise / wahrscheinlich ..." (Presumably / possibly / probably...)

Interpret

  • „Der Fotograf / die Künstlerin will vermutlich zeigen, dass ..." (The photographer / artist probably wants to show that...)
  • „Das könnte bedeuten, dass ..." (That could mean that...)
  • „Möglicherweise geht es hier um ..." (Possibly this is about...)

React and connect

  • „Das Bild erinnert mich an ..." (The picture reminds me of...)
  • „Mir fällt auf, dass ..." (I notice that...)
  • „Was mich beeindruckt, ist ..." (What impresses me is...)
  • „Meiner Meinung nach ..." (In my opinion...)

An example makes the difference visible. Instead of "Ich sehe einen Mann in den Bergen" you say: "Im Vordergrund steht ein Mann mit Rucksack. Er wirkt müde, vermutlich ist er schon lange gewandert. Das Bild erinnert mich an Freiheit und Erholung." Same scene, a completely different level.

The mistake that keeps you at A2

The most common mistake is pure listing: "Ich sehe einen Mann. Ich sehe einen Baum. Ich sehe einen Hund." That is an inventory, not a description. It shows vocabulary, but no language competence.

The second mistake is jumping: top, then bottom, then top again. Without structure, even good German sounds unsure.

The fix for both: structure plus speculation. Describe in one direction, then always go one step further, from "what I see" to "what it might mean".

Your phrase set to take away

You should not look these phrases up every time, you should have them ready. We have bundled them together with the conversation phrases from the oral exam into one PDF: the Knaxx Sprechen Redemittel set, a complete phrase pack for describing, speculating, and speaking freely.

(Download link, once live.)

And for the telc oral exam?

Honestly: picture description is not a separate task in the telc B2 exam. The oral part consists of three other tasks, talking about an experience, having a discussion, and planning something together.

But the skill behind it is exactly the same. In all three tasks you win when you do not just state facts but speculate, interpret, react, and speak in a structured way. That is precisely what you practise with picture description. It is the training equipment, not the exam itself.

How the oral exam is actually graded is covered in the article on scoring. And if you want to practise free speaking with an exam partner that knows the real criteria, that is exactly what we build Knaxx for. You can test the Beta now at app.knaxxdeutsch.de/signup.

Crack speaking, step by step.

What you can do now

  • Stick to the three steps: overall impression, description, assumption. Always in that order.
  • Describe in one direction, front to back or left to right. Do not jump.
  • Always go one step further: from "what I see" to "what it might mean". That is the B2 leap.
  • Drill the assumption phrases with Konjunktiv and modal verbs until they come automatically.
  • Get the phrase set, so you have the phrases ready instead of searching for them.

A good picture description is not a vocabulary test. It is proof that in German you can not only name things, but think.

FAQ - Describing pictures in German: common questions

How do you describe a picture in German?

In three steps: first the overall impression ("Das Bild zeigt..."), then the description from front to back ("Im Vordergrund... im Hintergrund..."), then assumption and interpretation ("Es könnte sein, dass...", "Die Person wirkt..."). Describe systematically in one direction, instead of jumping around the picture.

What phrases do you need for picture description in German?

Three groups: introduction ("Das Bild zeigt...", "Auf dem Foto ist ... zu sehen"), position ("im Vordergrund", "in der Mitte", "auf der linken Seite"), and assumption ("es könnte sein, dass...", "die Person scheint ... zu sein", "vermutlich"). The assumption phrases are the most important ones at B2.

What is the difference between A2 and B2 in picture description?

At A2 you list what you see: "Ich sehe einen Mann." At B2 you interpret: "Der Mann wirkt müde, vermutlich ist er lange gewandert." The leap from "seeing" to "speculating and interpreting" is exactly what makes the higher level.

How do you express assumptions about a picture in German?

With modal verbs and the Konjunktiv: "Es könnte sein, dass...", "Es scheint, als ob... (Konjunktiv II)", "Die Person scheint ... zu sein", "vermutlich / möglicherweise / wahrscheinlich". These structures show that you are not just describing but interpreting.

Is picture description part of the telc B2 exam?

Picture description is not a separate task in the telc B2 exam; the oral part consists of three other tasks. But the skill behind it, describing, speculating, reacting, and speaking in a structured way, is exactly what those tasks reward. As practice, picture description is therefore valuable.

About the Authors

Ela Zakrzewska has taught telc B2 for over twenty years, corrected hundreds of letters against the official telc criteria, and observed hundreds of exams. She was born in Lithuania and has lived and worked in Poland, Germany, Belgium, and the UK. These five countries, five languages, and the networks she has built around the world shape the Knaxx approach: exam knowledge that accounts for every native language, and a strategy that works for immigrants in Germany, because she is one.

San Pham Tu is a PhD level AI and data scientist and co-founder of Knaxx. She translates Ela's two decades of exam expertise into systems that reach hundreds of learners simultaneously, without losing the evaluation logic. She and Ela met as exam partners in a language exam. Now they are building together the exam partner they both wished they had had.

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