HL: beschreiben → deuten am literarischen Auszug: The describe-and-interpret skill on this page is exactly what you need — but at HL you apply it to a literarischer Auszug from one of your two works, not to a Bild. So instead of «was ich auf dem Foto sehe», think «was im Auszug passiert und was es bedeutet»: describe the situation and characters, then interpret the theme with a short quotation as evidence. (The Foto-/Bildbeschreibung wording is the SL stimulus.) For the HL extract method end to end, see Unit 8 Literature, 8.2.2 «The HL individual oral».
Describe AND interpret — using the present tense: When you present (at HL, a literarischer Auszug from one of your two works), you must do two things: describe what is literally there (the situation, the characters, what happens) and interpret what it suggests or means. The same describe-then-interpret skill is shown here on a simple visual scene, which is the SL stimulus. Describe in the present tense — „auf dem Bild sehe ich…“, „im Vordergrund steht…“, „eine Person liest…“ — and use position language to say where things are: „im Vordergrund“, „im Hintergrund“, „links“, „rechts“. Then move from description to interpretation with phrases like „es scheint, dass…“ and „ich glaube, das Bild zeigt…“. Description alone is not enough — the examiner wants to hear what you think the image means.
- beschreiben
- to describe — say what is literally in the image (people, place, actions)
- interpretieren / deuten
- to interpret — say what the image suggests, means or conveys
- der Vordergrund
- the foreground — what's at the front of the image
- der Hintergrund
- the background — what's behind, further away in the image
- „auf dem Bild sehe ich… / es gibt…“
- „on the picture I see… / there is…“ — present-tense openers for describing
- „es scheint, dass… / ich glaube…“
- „it seems that… / I think…“ — openers for interpreting
Always pair a description with an interpretation: For every thing you describe, try to add what it means. „Ich sehe Menschen, die lächeln“ (description) → „es scheint, dass sie glücklich sind und den Moment genießen“ (interpretation). Pairing the two is exactly what lifts your Message marks above a flat list.
Two columns of language to rehearse: Learn two sets of phrases by heart: one for describing (present tense + position) and one for interpreting (what it suggests). In the oral you'll move back and forth between them, so have both ready.
| Beschreiben | Interpretieren |
|---|---|
| „Auf dem Bild sehe ich… / es gibt…“ | „Es scheint, dass… / Ich glaube…“ |
| „im Vordergrund / im Hintergrund“ | „Es wirkt, als ob…“ |
| „links / rechts / in der Mitte“ | „Das deutet darauf hin, dass…“ |
| „eine Person liest / spricht / lächelt“ | „Meiner Meinung nach geht es um…“ |
Present tense + position words: Two things to lock in: describe in the present tense („es gibt“, „ich sehe“, „lächelt“) — not the past — and always say where things are with position words („im Vordergrund“, „im Hintergrund“, „links“, „rechts“). Position language alone makes a description sound far more controlled.
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Five moves, in order: A strong description of the stimulus follows the same routine every time: overview, detail, position, interpret, link. Start wide, zoom into the details with position language, then lift from what you see to what it means and tie it to the theme.
Describe a stimulus — 5 steps
1
Overview
Say what kind of image it is in one sentence: „Auf dem Bild sehe ich…“ (a market, a classroom, a celebration). Set the scene first.
2
Detail
Describe the people, place and actions in the present tense: who is there, where, and what they are doing.
3
Position
Say where things are with position language: „im Vordergrund“, „im Hintergrund“, „links / rechts“. This shows control.
4
Interpret
Move from what you see to what it suggests: „es scheint, dass…“, „ich glaube, das Bild zeigt…“. Don't stop at the literal.
5
Link
Tie the image to its theme: „das hängt mit dem Thema … zusammen“. Naming the theme anchors the whole description.
Overview → Detail → Position → Interpret → Link
Don't dry up after two sentences: The biggest weakness in descriptions is running out of things to say. The five-step routine keeps you going: if you stall, jump to the next move — describe another detail, add a position, offer an interpretation. There's always one more thing to say about the image.
A full spoken description, step by step: Here's a strong spoken description of a stimulus, following the five-step routine: overview → details → position → interpretation → theme link. This is a model spoken description — tap 🔊 to hear the German, or Übersetzung anzeigen for the English explanation.
Describing a market stimulus
Overview → detail → position → interpret → link
- Gib einen Überblick: „Auf dem Bild sehe ich einen Wochenmarkt im Freien in einer Stadt; es ist ein buntes und lebendiges Bild.“
- Beschreibe die Details: „Im Vordergrund stehen mehrere Obst- und Gemüsestände, und links bedient eine Verkäuferin eine Kundin.“
- Verorte die Elemente: „Im Hintergrund sieht man weitere Stände und rechts eine Gruppe von Menschen, die zwischen den Waren spazieren geht.“
- Interpretiere das Bild: „Es scheint ein traditioneller Markttag zu sein; ich glaube, das Foto vermittelt die Bedeutung des regionalen Handels und der Gemeinschaft.“
- Stelle den Bezug zum Thema her: „Das hängt mit dem Thema soziale Organisation zusammen, denn es geht darum, wie Gemeinschaften leben und einkaufen.“
Notice the position language doing the work: Look at how „im Vordergrund“, „links“, „im Hintergrund“ and „rechts“ keep the description flowing and precise. Then notice the switch from „ich sehe…“ (describing) to „es scheint, dass… / ich glaube, das Foto vermittelt…“ (interpreting). That move from see to mean is what earns the Message marks.
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Good decisions vs costly mistakes: Most weak descriptions fail in the same three ways: they only list what's there (no interpretation), they use no position or location language, or they dry up after two sentences. Here's the contrast.
Gute Entscheidungen
- Beschreibe UND interpretiere, was du siehst.
- Benutze Positionssprache (im Vordergrund, im Hintergrund).
- Beschreibe im Präsens: „es gibt“, „ich sehe“, „lächelt“.
- Rede weiter: Detail, Position, Interpretation.
Typische Fehler
- Only list what you see (no interpretation).
- Use no position or location language.
- Dry up after just two sentences.
- Describe in the past tense instead of the present.
Pair every detail with a position or an interpretation: To avoid all three traps at once, make a rule: never name a detail on its own. Pair it with where it is („rechts steht…“) or what it means („es scheint, dass…“). That single habit keeps you in the present tense, keeps you talking, and forces interpretation.