German for Beginners Essen und Trinken

Germany, Cologne, young couple in the city at bakery — Westend61 / Getty Images

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Updated on February 21, 2020

This lesson introduces (1) food words and vocabulary for eating, drinking and grocery shopping, (2) expressions related to those topics and (3) related German grammar.

Read and study the following dialog. If you need help with the vocabulary or grammar, see the short glossary below. LERNTIPP: You will comprehend and learn this dialog better if you use this German-only version as much as possible, only turning to the dual-language version when you need to. You can easily switch between the two. Also, see the glossary at the bottom of the dialog.

Using German Eating and Drinking Vocabulary in Dialog

Your goal is to get to the point where you can read this German dialog with full comprehension (no dictionary/help needed).

Dialog 1: In der Küche - In the Kitchen

Katrin: Mutti, was machst du denn da? Ist das Wienerschnitzel?

Mutter: Ja, dein Lieblingsessen natürlich.

Katrin: Toll!

Mutti: Aber Katrin, ich hab' gerade entdeckt, dass wir keine Kartoffeln für die Pommes frites haben. Kannst du mir schnell Kartoffeln bei EDEKA holen?

Katrin: Ja, das kann ich. Brauchst du sonst noch etwas?

Mutter: Wenn es ein paar schöne Gurken gibt, wäre das auch gut.

Katrin: Und Brötchen?

Mutter: Nee, das haben wir schon.

Katrin: OK, dann bin ich gleich wieder da.

Mutter: Hast du etwas Geld?

Katrin: Ja, genug, um ein paar Kartoffeln und Gurken zu kaufen.

Mutter: Natürlich bekommst du das Geld von mir zurück.

Katrin: Es geht schon, Mutti. Tschüs!

GLOSSARY: wäre would be, nee nein, e Gurke cucumber, genug enough

CULTURAL NOTE: EDEKA is a German co-op chain of over 10,000 neighborhood, independently-owned grocery stores that offer a wide variety of items, sometimes including a small bakery. By using a centralized distribution system from 12 regional centers in Germany, they are better able to compete with larger supermarkets. For more information, see the EDEKA Web site (in German).

Where else can you buy groceries? Below is a chart of various shopping possibilities. Although supermarkets are popular, many Germans still prefer to shop for meat, bread, pastry, fruit and vegetables in specialty shops: the butcher, the baker, the green grocer and other specialized types of stores.

Wo kaufe ich das?
Useful words and expressions in English and German

Lebensmittel - Groceries

WO (where)	WAS (what)
der Supermarkt the supermarket im Supermarkt at the supermarket	fast alles almost everything die Lebensmittel groceries das Gemüse vegetables das Obst fruit die Milch milk der Käse cheese
der Bäcker the baker beim Bäcker at the baker's die Bäckerei bakery	das Brot bread das Brötchen roll die Semmeln rolls (So. Germany, Austria) die Torte cake der Kuchen cake
der Fleischer the butcher* die Fleischerei butcher shop beim Fleischer at the butcher's der Metzger the butcher die Metzgerei the butcher shop beim Metzger at the butcher's	der Fisch fish das Fleisch meat das Rindfleisch beef das Geflügel fowl das Kalbfleisch veal der Schinken ham das Schweinefleisch pork die Wurst sausage
The German terms for "butcher" and "butcher shop" are regional. Metzger* tends to be used more in southern Germany, while Fleischer is more common in the north. The official term for the trade is Fleischer. Older, rarely used terms are Fleischhacker, Fleischhauer andSchlachter.
der Getränkemarkt beverage shop Here you buy beverages (beer, cola, mineral water, etc.) by the case. Supermarkets now usually have a similar department.	Getränke beverages das Getränk beverage, drink das Bier beer der Wein wine die Limonade soda, soft drink die Cola cola drink das Mineralwasser mineral water
der Markt the market der Tante-Emma-Laden corner market die Tankstelle gas station (market)	A growing trend in Germany is the gas station mini-mart, selling everything from groceries to videos and CDs. It offers shoppers an alternative to regular stores that by law are closed on Sundays and after 8 PM, if not earlier.

Related Pages

German for Beginners - Contents

German Grammar
All of the grammar resources on this site.

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Flippo, Hyde. "German for Beginners Essen und Trinken." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/essen-und-trinken-lesson-4075010. Flippo, Hyde. (2023, April 5). German for Beginners Essen und Trinken. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/essen-und-trinken-lesson-4075010 Flippo, Hyde. "German for Beginners Essen und Trinken." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/essen-und-trinken-lesson-4075010 (accessed June 3, 2023).