Hibiscus Teach · Picture vocabulary

Fruit and vegetables

Learn twenty-four fruit and vegetable words. Ask for quantities at the market and plan a simple meal.

A1–A2 · Adult learnersBritish EnglishStudy at your own pace

Created by Denis M., British English teacher.

Look, name, use

Name fruit and vegetables, use quantities and plurals, and say what you need for a meal.

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.

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.

Download the full British MP3

Full recording transcript

Welcome. In this lesson, we are going to learn vocabulary for fruit and vegetables. 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, an apple.

Number 2, a pear.

Number 3, a banana.

Number 4, an orange.

Number 5, a lemon.

Number 6, a lime.

Number 7, a peach.

Number 8, a plum.

Number 9, grapes.

Number 10, a strawberry.

Number 11, a pineapple.

Number 12, a watermelon.

Repeat. An apple. A pear. A banana. An orange. A lemon. A lime. A peach. A plum. Grapes. A strawberry. A pineapple. A watermelon.

Number 13, a carrot.

Number 14, a potato.

Number 15, an onion.

Number 16, a tomato.

Number 17, a cucumber.

Number 18, a pepper.

Number 19, broccoli.

Number 20, cauliflower.

Number 21, a cabbage.

Number 22, a courgette.

Number 23, an aubergine.

Number 24, a mushroom.

Repeat. A carrot. A potato. An onion. A tomato. A cucumber. A pepper. Broccoli. Cauliflower. A cabbage. A courgette. An aubergine. A mushroom.

Grapes is usually plural. We can also say: a bunch of grapes. Broccoli is often used with some. The plural of potato is potatoes. The plural of tomato is tomatoes. Courgette and aubergine are British English words.

Listen and guess the word. I am a red or green fruit, and many people eat me every day. I am long and yellow. I am small, round and purple. I am a small red fruit with seeds on the outside. I am a large tropical fruit with a spiky top. I am very big, green outside and red inside. I am a root vegetable and usually orange. I am brown outside and often used for chips or mash. I can make you cry when you cut me. I am red and often used in salads or pasta sauce. I am long, green and often eaten in salads. I am a red bell vegetable with a green stem. I look like a little tree. I am white and round with green leaves around me. I am a round green vegetable with many leaves. I am long, green and similar to a cucumber, but thicker. I am dark purple and shiny. I am a soft pale vegetable often used in soups or pasta. I am yellow and sour. I am green and sour. I am round, orange and juicy. I am soft, sweet and have fuzzy skin. I am shaped a little like an apple but narrower at the top. I grow in bunches.

Good morning. Can I have six tomatoes, two onions and a cucumber, please? Of course. Anything else? Yes, a bunch of grapes and four peaches, please. Certainly.

What shall we cook tonight? Let’s make pasta with broccoli, mushrooms and peppers. Good idea. And for dessert? We could have strawberries and pineapple.

Which fruit do you eat most often? Which vegetables do you like best in salads? Which six items would you buy for a healthy week? What do you usually buy when you go to the market?

Now listen and repeat each word again.

Apple.

Pear.

Banana.

Orange.

Lemon.

Lime.

Peach.

Plum.

Grapes.

Strawberry.

Pineapple.

Watermelon.

Carrot.

Potato.

Onion.

Tomato.

Cucumber.

Pepper.

Broccoli.

Cauliflower.

Cabbage.

Courgette.

Aubergine.

Mushroom.

Well done. Now try the final review section and see how many words you can remember and pronounce clearly.

Choose a Listen button for a model. Press it again to stop.

A. Fruit

Look first. Which items can you name? Which do you eat?

Fruit. Three rows of four objects, in reading order: apple, pear, banana, orange, lemon, lime, peach, plum, grapes, strawberry, pineapple, watermelon.

Text alternative: describe the pictures

Use these descriptions instead of the pictures for matching.

A round red fruit with a stalk and shiny skin.
A green fruit, narrow at the top and wider at the bottom.
A curved yellow fruit.
A round citrus fruit with a textured orange skin.
An oval yellow citrus fruit.
A round green citrus fruit.
A round pink-and-yellow fruit with fuzzy skin.
A dark purple round fruit with a stalk.
Many small purple fruits joined in a bunch.
A small red fruit with seeds on its surface and green leaves.
A large yellow-and-brown fruit with a crown of spiky green leaves.
A large striped green fruit, shown with a slice revealing red flesh and black seeds.

Vocabulary and pronunciation support

Say each form aloud. Courgette can also be zucchini; aubergine can also be eggplant.

1. an apple
2. a pear
3. a banana
4. an orange
5. a lemon
6. a lime
7. a peach
8. a plum
9. grapes / a bunch of grapes
10. a strawberry
11. a pineapple
12. a watermelon

B. Vegetables

Look first. Which items can you name? Which do you eat?

Vegetables. Three rows of four objects, in reading order: carrot, potato, onion, tomato, cucumber, pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, courgette, aubergine, mushroom.

Text alternative: describe the pictures

Use these descriptions instead of the pictures for matching.

A long orange root with green leaves.
An oval brown vegetable with small eyes in its skin.
A round bulb with dry golden-brown skin and a pointed top.
A round red salad food with a green leafy top.
A long green salad vegetable with a bumpy skin.
A hollow-looking red vegetable with rounded sides and a green stem.
A green head with a thick stalk and many tiny florets.
A pale cream head of tightly packed florets surrounded by green leaves.
A round head of overlapping green leaves.
A smooth dark-green vegetable that is long and slightly curved.
A glossy dark-purple vegetable with a green cap.
A pale rounded cap on a short thick stalk.

Vocabulary and pronunciation support

Say each form aloud. Courgette can also be zucchini; aubergine can also be eggplant.

13. a carrot
14. a potato
15. an onion
16. a tomato
17. a cucumber
18. a pepper / a bell pepper
19. broccoli
20. cauliflower
21. a cabbage
22. a courgette (acceptable alternative: zucchini)
23. an aubergine (acceptable alternative: eggplant)
24. a mushroom

Speak for 20–45 seconds: Name three foods you eat often.

On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.

Possible model response

I eat an apple at lunch. I put tomatoes in salads and cook broccoli for dinner.

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

I am a red or green fruit, and many people eat me every day.

I am long and yellow.

I am small, round and purple.

I am a small red fruit with seeds on the outside.

I am a large tropical fruit with a spiky top.

I am very big, green outside and red inside.

I am a root vegetable and usually orange.

I am brown outside and often used for chips or mash.

I can make you cry when you cut me.

I am red and often used in salads or pasta sauce.

I am long, green and often eaten in salads.

I am a red bell vegetable with a green stem.

I look like a little tree.

I am white and round with green leaves around me.

I am a round green vegetable with many leaves.

I am long, green and similar to a cucumber, but thicker.

I am dark purple and shiny.

I am a soft pale vegetable often used in soups or pasta.

I am yellow and sour.

I am green and sour.

I am round, orange and juicy.

I am soft, sweet and have fuzzy skin.

I am shaped a little like an apple but narrower at the top.

I grow in bunches.

Choose the right food

Say your choice before opening a possible answer. Explain why it would help.

Open ten situations

1. You want to make lemonade. What fruit do you need?

Possible model response

Lemon.

2. You want to make chips. What vegetable do you need?

Possible model response

Potato.

3. You want to make a salad with something long and green. What could you choose?

Possible model response

Cucumber.

4. You want a sweet tropical fruit with a spiky top. What do you choose?

Possible model response

Pineapple.

5. You want to make a tomato sauce. What do you need?

Possible model response

Tomato or tomatoes.

6. You want something purple for a Mediterranean dish. What could you use?

Possible model response

Aubergine.

7. You want to buy fruit for a picnic and need something easy to share. What could you choose?

Possible model response

Grapes or watermelon.

8. You want to cook a green vegetable that looks like a small tree. What do you need?

Possible model response

Broccoli.

9. You want to make a stuffed vegetable dish with a red shell. What could you use?

Possible model response

Pepper.

10. You want something soft and sweet to eat on a hot day. What fruit could you choose?

Possible model response

Peach or watermelon or strawberry.

Make it personal

Which fruit do you eat most often?
Which vegetables do you like best in salads?
Are there any of these foods you never eat?
Which six items would you buy for a healthy week?
What do you usually buy when you go to the market?
Which fruit or vegetable is most common in Ecuador where you live?

For the last question, talk about Ecuador or the place where you live.

Speak for 20–45 seconds: Choose one question and answer it.

On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.

Possible model response

I eat bananas most often because they are easy to take to work.

British English courgette can be zucchini, and aubergine can be eggplant. Pepper can be bell pepper. These alternatives are accepted in naming practice.

Plan a meal and make a shopping list

Choose six items from the lesson. Say what you would make and how much you need. Use full sentences.

I would make …
I would need two …, three … and some …
For dessert, I would serve …

On my own: say your shopping list aloud, then compare with the model.

Possible model response

I would make pasta with tomato sauce and vegetables. I would need four tomatoes, one onion, two peppers and some broccoli. For dessert, I would serve six strawberries and one pineapple. These are my six items; pasta is an extra ingredient.

Check your plan

There is no single correct list. Check that you chose six lesson foods, named a meal and used quantities. The model uses tomatoes, onion, peppers, broccoli, strawberries and pineapple.

Mastery check

Revisit four useful points

Final recall challenge

Hide the labels and word banks. Answer these five prompts from memory. You may also name all 24 pictures aloud or use optional boxes.

Name six fruits from the lesson.

Reveal a possible answer

For example: apple, pear, banana, orange, lemon and lime.

Name six vegetables from the lesson.

Reveal a possible answer

For example: carrot, potato, onion, tomato, cucumber and pepper.

Which two words have irregular-looking plural endings?

Reveal a possible answer

Potatoes and tomatoes: add -es.

Which item is usually described with a quantity phrase rather than a/an?

Reveal a possible answer

Some grapes or a bunch of grapes; some broccoli.

Which British-English words have common American alternatives?

Reveal a possible answer

Courgette (zucchini) and aubergine (eggplant).

Listen and repeat

Read each word beside its play button, listen and repeat it aloud. You can play any word as often as you like. Choose “Hide word labels” to practise from the pictures alone.