German Food and Drink: the Words and How to Order
Food is where a visitor's German gets used most, and where the gender of a noun matters least, because you point at the menu. This page has the words you will read on a menu or a shelf, with their articles, then the sentences for ordering, paying and asking about ingredients. Every word is a thing you can point a camera at, which is the point of the app this site belongs to.
Drinks
-
das Wasser
VAS-ser
-
the water
Ask for stilles Wasser; plain Wasser is usually sparkling
-
mit Kohlensäure
mit KOH-len-zoy-ruh
-
sparkling
Also mit Gas; ohne for still
-
das Leitungswasser
LY-toongs-vas-ser
-
the tap water
Rarely offered; you have to ask
-
der Kaffee
KAF-fay
-
the coffee
Stress on the first syllable in Germany
-
der Tee
tay
-
the tea
-
der Saft
zaft
-
the juice
Apfelsaft, Orangensaft
-
die Schorle
SHOR-luh
-
the juice with sparkling water
Apfelschorle is the national soft drink
-
das Bier
beer
-
the beer
ein Helles, ein Pils, ein Weizen
-
der Wein
vine
-
the wine
Rotwein, Weißwein
-
die Milch
milkh
-
the milk
Bread and breakfast
-
das Brot
broht
-
the bread
-
das Brötchen
BRURT-khen
-
the bread roll
Semmel in the south, Schrippe in Berlin
-
die Butter
BOOT-ter
-
the butter
-
der Käse
KAY-zuh
-
the cheese
-
die Wurst
voorst
-
the sausage
Also cold cuts on a breakfast plate
-
das Ei
eye
-
the egg
Rührei, scrambled; ein weiches Ei, soft-boiled
-
die Marmelade
mar-muh-LAH-duh
-
the jam
-
das Müsli
MUUS-lee
-
the muesli
-
der Joghurt
YOH-goort
-
the yoghurt
-
das Frühstück
FRUU-shtuuk
-
the breakfast
Main courses and sides
-
das Fleisch
flysh
-
the meat
-
das Hähnchen
HAIN-khen
-
the chicken
-
das Schnitzel
SHNIT-sel
-
the schnitzel
Wiener Schnitzel is veal by law; vom Schwein is pork
-
der Fisch
fish
-
the fish
-
die Kartoffel
kar-TOF-fel
-
the potato
Pommes, said POM-mes, are chips
-
der Knödel
KNUR-del
-
the dumpling
Kloß in the north
-
die Nudeln
NOO-deln
-
the noodles, the pasta
-
der Salat
za-LAHT
-
the salad
-
das Gemüse
guh-MUU-zuh
-
the vegetables
-
die Beilage
BY-lah-guh
-
the side dish
Fruit and vegetables at the market
-
der Apfel
AP-fel
-
the apple
-
die Banane
ba-NAH-nuh
-
the banana
-
die Erdbeere
AIRT-bay-ruh
-
the strawberry
-
die Tomate
to-MAH-tuh
-
the tomato
Paradeiser in Austria
-
die Gurke
GOOR-kuh
-
the cucumber
-
die Zwiebel
TSVEE-bel
-
the onion
-
die Karotte
ka-ROT-tuh
-
the carrot
Also die Möhre
-
der Pilz
pilts
-
the mushroom
-
der Spargel
SHPAR-gel
-
the asparagus
A season, not a vegetable, from April to June
-
ein Kilo, ein Pfund
ine KEE-lo, ine pfoont
-
a kilo, a pound
A German pound is 500 grams
Reading the menu
-
die Speisekarte
SHPY-zuh-kar-tuh
-
the menu
Die Karte, bitte gets you one
-
die Tageskarte
TAH-ges-kar-tuh
-
the daily specials
-
die Vorspeise
FOR-shpy-zuh
-
the starter
-
das Hauptgericht
HOWPT-guh-rikht
-
the main course
-
der Nachtisch
NAKH-tish
-
the dessert
Also das Dessert
-
hausgemacht
HOWS-guh-makht
-
homemade
-
vegetarisch
vay-guh-TAH-rish
-
vegetarian
-
vegan
vay-GAHN
-
vegan
-
scharf
sharf
-
spicy
-
die Portion
por-TSYOHN
-
the portion
Eine kleine Portion, bitte
Ordering
-
Einen Tisch für zwei, bitte.
INE-en tish fuur tsvy BIT-tuh
-
A table for two, please.
-
Die Karte, bitte.
dee KAR-tuh BIT-tuh
-
The menu, please.
-
Ich hätte gern das Schnitzel.
ikh HET-tuh gairn das SHNIT-sel
-
I would like the schnitzel.
The polite way to order
-
Ich nehme ...
ikh NAY-muh
-
I will have ...
-
Was empfehlen Sie?
vas emp-FAY-len zee
-
What do you recommend?
-
Was ist das?
vas ist das
-
What is that?
Point at the menu
-
Noch ein Bier, bitte.
nokh ine beer BIT-tuh
-
Another beer, please.
-
Guten Appetit
GOO-ten ap-pay-TEET
-
Enjoy your meal
Said to each other before eating, always
-
Prost
prohst
-
Cheers
Look people in the eye
-
Es war sehr lecker.
es var zair LEK-er
-
It was very tasty.
Allergies and what you do not eat
-
Ich bin Vegetarier.
ikh bin vay-guh-TAH-ree-er
-
I am vegetarian.
Vegetarierin for a woman
-
Ich esse kein Fleisch.
ikh ES-suh kine flysh
-
I do not eat meat.
-
ohne Zwiebeln, bitte
OH-nuh TSVEE-beln BIT-tuh
-
without onions, please
-
Ich habe eine Allergie gegen Nüsse.
ikh HAH-buh INE-uh al-air-GEE GAY-gen NUUS-suh
-
I am allergic to nuts.
-
Ist das glutenfrei?
ist das GLOO-ten-fry
-
Is that gluten-free?
-
Enthält das Milch?
ent-HELT das milkh
-
Does that contain milk?
-
laktosefrei
lak-TOH-zuh-fry
-
lactose-free
Paying
-
Zahlen, bitte.
TSAH-len BIT-tuh
-
The bill, please.
Also Die Rechnung, bitte
-
Zusammen oder getrennt?
tsoo-ZAM-men OH-der guh-TRENT
-
Together or separately?
The waiter will ask; splitting is normal
-
getrennt, bitte
guh-TRENT BIT-tuh
-
separately, please
-
Stimmt so.
shtimt zo
-
Keep the change.
Say it as you hand over the money
-
Machen Sie zwanzig.
MAKH-en zee TSVAN-tsikh
-
Make it twenty.
How you tip: round the total up out loud
-
das Trinkgeld
TRINK-gelt
-
the tip
Five to ten percent, given to the waiter, not left on the table
-
Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?
kan ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len
-
Can I pay by card?
Still worth asking
How tipping works
You do not leave coins on the table. When the waiter tells you the total, you say the amount you want to pay, rounded up, and they give change from that: the bill is 18.40, you hand over a twenty and say Machen Sie zwanzig, or Stimmt so if you want them to keep all of it.
Five to ten percent is normal in a restaurant; rounding up to the next euro is fine in a café. Splitting the bill is so normal that the waiter will ask before you do.
- Zusammen oder getrennt? Getrennt, bitte.Together or separately? Separately, please.
- Das macht 18,40. Machen Sie zwanzig.That is 18.40. Make it twenty.
Photograph the shelf, keep the word
Supermarket shelves and market stalls label everything, so they are the best place to collect food words with their articles: die Gurke, der Spargel, das Brötchen. Point Vocabloot at the label or the thing itself and the word arrives with the article, the pronunciation and an example sentence, saved with your photo for the games later.
Keep learning German in Vocabloot
Snap anything and learn the German word for it, with pronunciation and an example sentence.
