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Key language Key words Key language Grammar note: Saying 'I'd like ...' Key language Cultural note


In German there are two different words for a: ein with der and das words, ie. masculine and neuter words, and eine with die words, ie. feminine words.



ein Kaffee a coffee
eine Currywurst a curried sausage
ein Bier a beer

It's easy to confuse the word for a with the word eins. Eins is only used for the number one, ie. when you are counting.



eins, zwei, drei,... one, two, three,...
Ein Bier, bitte. One beer, please..
Zwei Bier, bitte. Two beers, please.
Drei Bier, bitte. Three beers, please.

At times you'll hear the words einen and einem also meaning a. You'll see and hear these forms when they appear at certain positions in the sentence, eg. after verbs and prepositions.
Ich möchte einen Kaffee I'd like a coffee


See also...
Saying 'the'
Saying 'my'
Using 'den'
Asking and talking about destination

Is it ein or is it eine? Click on 'Start the activity' and use these words correctly to finish the phrase. You'll need to drag the right one into the gap.




1. Guess the Words 2. Re-arrange the dialogue 3. Build sentences 4. Speak and Write

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