Hibiscus Teach · Picture vocabulary
Around the home
Learn twenty-four useful words for furniture and household items. Describe a room and choose what you need for a small flat.
Created by Denis M., British English teacher.
Look, name, use
Name things around the home, use there is and there are, and explain where you would put them.
Start with the unlabelled pictures. Try naming items before choosing Numbered practice. Each sheet has three rows of four objects. Open vocabulary help when you need it.
Use Enlarge poster for a closer look. Scroll sideways with touch, a mouse or arrow keys.
On my own: say your answers aloud. Writing is optional in speaking activities.
With my tutor: name familiar items first. Follow up: which room are they in?
Your route: name the pictures, listen and repeat, use the words, then try final recall. Start with one picture set and take a break whenever you need.
On a small screen, revealed labels use a wider poster so you can read them. Scroll sideways, or choose Numbered practice to fit the whole picture again.
British English master recording
One continuous recording by Libby. Every Listen button plays a measured section of this same MP3.
Full recording transcript
Welcome. In this lesson, we are going to learn vocabulary for around the home. First, look at the pictures and try to name the items you already know. Then check the vocabulary, practise the words, and use them in simple conversations.
Number 1, a sofa.
Number 2, an armchair.
Number 3, a coffee table.
Number 4, a bookcase.
Number 5, a bed.
Number 6, a wardrobe.
Number 7, a chest of drawers.
Number 8, a bedside table.
Number 9, a dining table.
Number 10, a chair.
Number 11, a desk.
Number 12, a stool.
Repeat. A sofa. An armchair. A coffee table. A bookcase. A bed. A wardrobe. A chest of drawers. A bedside table. A dining table. A chair. A desk. A stool.
Number 13, a lamp.
Number 14, a mirror.
Number 15, a clock.
Number 16, a rug.
Number 17, curtains.
Number 18, a cushion.
Number 19, a pillow.
Number 20, a duvet.
Number 21, a towel.
Number 22, a toothbrush.
Number 23, a hairdryer.
Number 24, a bin.
Repeat. A lamp. A mirror. A clock. A rug. Curtains. A cushion. A pillow. A duvet. A towel. A toothbrush. A hairdryer. A bin.
Furniture is usually an uncountable category word. We usually say: some furniture, a piece of furniture, or three pieces of furniture. Curtains is plural. A cushion is usually decorative. A pillow is for sleeping.
Listen and guess the word. You sleep on me at night. You sit on me, and I am usually softer and bigger than a chair. You sit on me alone in the living room. You put books on me. You put clothes inside me, and I have two doors. You keep folded clothes in me, and I have drawers. I stand next to the bed. You eat meals at me with other people. You sit on me at the table. You work or study at me. I am a small seat without a back. You put drinks or magazines on me in the living room. I give you light. You look in me to see your face. I tell you the time on the wall. I lie on the floor and make the room feel warmer. You hang me at the window. I am a soft decorative item on a sofa or bed. You put your head on me in bed. You sleep under me. You dry your body with me after a shower. You use me to clean your teeth. You use me to dry your hair. You put rubbish in me.
What furniture is in your bedroom? There is a bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a bedside table. Is there a desk too? Yes, there is, and there is also a chair.
We need a few things for the flat. Yes. We need curtains, a rug and a lamp for the living room. And we also need a mirror for the hallway. Don’t forget a bin for the kitchen.
Which items do you have in your bedroom? Which piece of furniture do you use most every day? Which three things would you buy first for a new flat? Describe your ideal room.
Well done. Now try the final recall activity and see how many words you can remember without looking.
Choose a Listen button for a model. Press it again to stop.
A. Furniture
Look first. Which items can you name? Which do you have at home?
1sofa2armchair3coffee table4bookcase5bed6wardrobe7chest of drawers8bedside table9dining table10chair11desk12stoolText alternative: describe the pictures
Use these descriptions instead of the pictures for matching.
- A wide cream upholstered seat with cushions, arms and space for more than one person.
- A green upholstered seat for one person, with arms and a back.
- A low round wooden table for the living room.
- A tall open wooden shelving unit holding books.
- A frame with a mattress, headboard and bedding.
- A tall wooden cupboard with two doors for clothes.
- A wooden storage unit with four broad drawers.
- A small wooden table with a drawer, shown beside bedroom objects.
- A large rectangular wooden table for meals.
- A wooden seat with a high slatted back.
- A wooden work surface with drawers on one side.
- A round wooden seat with legs but no back.
Match each word once. Read left to right across each row.
wardrobe · desk · sofa · bedside table · chair · armchair · coffee table · stool · dining table · bed · bookcase · chest of drawers
Vocabulary and pronunciation support
Say each form aloud. Use the forms below. Furniture is a category word; curtains is plural.
- 1. a sofa
- 2. an armchair
- 3. a coffee table
- 4. a bookcase
- 5. a bed
- 6. a wardrobe
- 7. a chest of drawers
- 8. a bedside table
- 9. a dining table
- 10. a chair
- 11. a desk
- 12. a stool
Name the pictures aloud, or use the optional boxes. The text descriptions remain available above.
B. Household items
Look first. Which items can you name? Which do you have at home?
13lamp14mirror15clock16rug17curtains18cushion19pillow20duvet21towel22toothbrush23hairdryer24binText alternative: describe the pictures
Use these descriptions instead of the pictures for matching.
- A light with a cream fabric shade and a rounded base.
- A round reflective surface in a wooden frame.
- A round wall object with numbers and two main hands for telling the time.
- A rectangular woven floor covering.
- Two long cream fabric panels hanging from a window rail.
- A square green soft decorative pad.
- A rectangular white soft support for your head when sleeping.
- A thick white quilted bed covering, folded over.
- A folded green absorbent cloth for drying your body.
- A blue-and-white handle with a small bristled head for cleaning teeth.
- A black electrical handheld appliance that blows air to dry hair.
- A metal container with a lid and foot pedal for rubbish.
Match each word once. Read left to right across each row.
bin · clock · towel · curtains · cushion · hairdryer · lamp · rug · mirror · duvet · toothbrush · pillow
Vocabulary and pronunciation support
Say each form aloud. Use the forms below. Furniture is a category word; curtains is plural.
- 13. a lamp
- 14. a mirror
- 15. a clock
- 16. a rug
- 17. curtains
- 18. a cushion
- 19. a pillow
- 20. a duvet
- 21. a towel
- 22. a toothbrush
- 23. a hairdryer
- 24. a bin
Name the pictures aloud, or use the optional boxes. The text descriptions remain available above.
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Name three things in your bedroom.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Where do you keep your clothes?
Possible model response
There is a bed, a wardrobe and a bedside table in my bedroom.
Useful groups
- Furniture for the living room: sofa, armchair, coffee table, bookcase
- Furniture for the bedroom: bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside table
- Furniture for work or meals: dining table, chair, desk, stool
- Things in the room: lamp, mirror, clock, rug, curtains, cushion, pillow, duvet
- Everyday household items: towel, toothbrush, hairdryer, bin
These are useful groups, not fixed rules. A desk can be in a bedroom or a study.
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Choose two items for a living room.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Why would you choose them?
Possible model response
I would choose a sofa for sitting and a bookcase for my books.
What am I?
Say the word aloud, or type it to check. Use each main lesson word once. Equivalent names are accepted.
Open the 24 clues
Useful forms and sentences
Say a sofa, but an armchair. Use there is with one item: There is a lamp beside the bed. Use there are with plural items: There are curtains at the window.
Furniture is usually uncountable. Say some furniture, a piece of furniture or three pieces of furniture, not three furnitures.
A cushion is usually decorative. A pillow supports your head when sleeping. A chair has a back; the pictured stool does not.
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Describe one item and two or more items in a room.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Can you add where they are?
Possible model response
There is a rug on the floor. There are curtains at the window.
Choose the best sentence: ten questions
Choose the sentence with the correct grammar and meaning.
Choose items for the situation
Say your choices before opening a possible answer. More than one useful choice may fit; explain why yours would help.
Open eight situations
1. You want to read at night in bed. What might you need beside you?
Possible model response
A bedside table and a lamp.
2. You want to do some work on your computer. What furniture do you need?
Possible model response
A desk and a chair.
3. You have many clothes and need space for them. What two items might help?
Possible model response
A wardrobe and a chest of drawers.
4. Your room feels cold and empty. What could you put on the floor?
Possible model response
A rug.
5. You want to make the living room comfortable for guests. What furniture do you need?
Possible model response
A sofa, an armchair and a coffee table.
6. You have wet hair after a shower. What household item do you use?
Possible model response
A hairdryer.
7. You want more privacy in your bedroom window. What do you need?
Possible model response
Curtains.
8. You want to look at yourself before you go out. What do you need?
Possible model response
A mirror.
Listen to two short dialogues
Listen first, answer the questions, then open the transcript. Practise both roles aloud.
Describing a bedroom
Read the transcript
A: Describing a bedroom
A: What furniture is in your bedroom?
B: There is a bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a bedside table.
A: Is there a desk too?
B: Yes, there is, and there is also a chair.
Check understanding: three questions
Buying things for a flat
Read the transcript
B: Buying things for a flat
A: We need a few things for the flat.
B: Yes. We need curtains, a rug and a lamp for the living room.
A: And we also need a mirror for the hallway.
B: Don’t forget a bin for the kitchen.
Check understanding: three questions
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Describe your room using the first conversation.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Ask about one extra piece of furniture.
Possible model response
There is a bed and a wardrobe in my room. Is there a desk too? Yes, and there is a chair.
Make it personal
- Which items do you have in your bedroom?
- Which piece of furniture do you use most every day?
- Do you prefer working at a desk or at a dining table? Why?
- Which household item in your home do you think is most useful?
- Which three things would you buy first for a new flat?
- Is your home more minimalist or more full of things?
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Choose one question and answer it.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Ask why, or ask for an example.
Possible model response
I use my desk every day because I work on my computer. I keep a lamp on it.
British English bin can be trash can or garbage can. Sofa can be couch, bookcase can be bookshelf, and bedside table can be nightstand. These alternatives are accepted in naming practice.
Furnish a small flat
Choose eight items from this lesson. Say where you would put them and why. Use full sentences.
In the bedroom, I would put …
In the living room, I would have …
Near the window, I would put …
I would choose … because …
On my own: say your plan aloud, count your eight choices, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: compare your choices. Follow up: which item would you buy first, and why?
Possible model response
In the bedroom, I would put a bed and a wardrobe for sleeping and storing clothes. In the living room, I would have a sofa and a coffee table for relaxing. Near the window, I would put a desk and a chair for work. I would choose a lamp for reading and a bin for rubbish. Those are my eight items.
A little more speaking
Describe your real room or your ideal room. Try on, under, next to, between and in front of. For example: The lamp is on the desk. The bin is under the desk. The bed is between the wardrobe and the bedside table.
Final recall challenge
Hide the labels and word banks. Answer these six prompts from memory. You may also name all 24 pictures aloud or use optional boxes.
Name four pieces of furniture from the living room.
Reveal a possible answer
Sofa, armchair, coffee table and bookcase.
Name four pieces of furniture from the bedroom.
Reveal a possible answer
Bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside table.
Name three things you can find on or near a bed.
Reveal a possible answer
For example: pillow, duvet and bedside table. A lamp or cushion can also fit.
Name three things you can find in a bathroom or after a shower.
Reveal a possible answer
For example: towel, toothbrush and hairdryer.
What is the difference between a cushion and a pillow?
Reveal a possible answer
A cushion is usually decorative; a pillow supports your head when sleeping.
What is the difference between a chair and a stool?
Reveal a possible answer
A chair has a back; the pictured stool is a seat without a back.