Talking about food in German using 'essen'
To talk about food and drink, use the verbs essen (to eat) and trinken (to drink):
- Ich esse Pizza - I eat pizza.
- Ich trinke Wasser - I drink water.
Look at the tables below. Can you see any food and drinks you like?
Food
German | English |
---|---|
der Salat | salad |
der Kuchen | cake |
der Toast | toast |
der Apfel | apple |
die Pommes | chips |
die Pizza | pizza |
die Schokolade | chocolate |
die Nudeln | pasta |
die Marmelade | jam |
das Brot | bread |
das Obst | fruit |
das Gemüse | vegetables |
das Hähnchen | chicken |
das Curry | curry |
das Fleisch | meat |
Drinks
German | English |
---|---|
das Cola | cola |
das Wasser | water |
der Orangensaft | orange juice |
die Limonade | lemonade |
der Kaffee | coffee |
die Milch | milk |
der Tee | tea |
Giving opinions on food and drink
To say you like something, add the adverb gern after the verb. Add nicht if you don’t like something.
- Ich esse gern Salat - I like eating salad.
- Ich trinke nicht gern Wasser - I don’t like drinking water.
You can add more detail to your opinions by using denn (because) with adjectives.
- Ich esse gern Kuchen, denn es ist lecker! - I like eating cake because it is tasty.
- Ich esse gern Curry, denn es ist scharf! - I like eating curry because it is spicy.
To ask someone about what food and drink they like, you can ask:
- Was isst du gern? - What do you like to eat?
- Was trinkst du gern? - What do you like to drink?
- Was isst du nicht gern? - What don’t you like to eat?
- Was trinkst du nicht gern? - What don’t you like to drink?
Talking about plural foods
When talking about a plural food or drink, change es ist (it is) to sie sind which means they are. Plural means more than one of something.
- Ich esse nicht gern Pommes, denn sie sind salzig - I don’t like eating chips because they are salty.
- Ich esse gern Kekse, denn sie sind süß - I like eating biscuits because they are sweet.
Ich esse gern Erdbeeren, denn sie sind köstlich - I like eating strawberries because they are delicious.
Can you write your own opinion sentences using the adjectives below?
German | English |
---|---|
denn | because |
sehr | very |
nicht | not |
köstlich | delicious |
lecker | tasty |
gesund | healthy |
ekelhaft | disgusting |
erfrischend | refreshing |
süß | sweet |
scharf | spicy |
salzig | salty |
Dietary requirements
Some people have special dietary requirements, meaning they can only eat certain foods. If you have any special dietary requirements, you may need the following phrases:
- Ich esse kein Fleisch, denn ich bin Vegetarier - I don’t eat meat because I am vegetarian.
- Ich trinke Sojamilch, denn ich bin Veganer - I drink soya milk because I am vegan.
- Ich esse keine Nüsse, denn ich habe eine Allergie - I don’t eat nuts because I have an allergy.
- Ich bin allergisch gegen Gluten - I am allergic to gluten.
- Ich habe Zöliakie - I have coeliac disease.
To talk about a female vegetarian or vegan, add -in to the end of Vegetarier and Veganer.
- Sie ist Vegetarierin - She is vegeterian.
- Sie ist Veganerin - She is vegan.
German | English |
---|---|
das Halal-Fleisch | halal meat |
die Milchprodukte | dairy |
die Eier | eggs |
die Nüsse | nuts |
die Erdnüsse | peanuts |
das Gluten | gluten |
der Weizen | wheat |
die Zöliakie | coeliac disease |
Talking about what you eat for different meals
Meals are an important part of talking about eating food. In German, the verb always has to be the second idea in a sentence. When talking or writing about meal times, place the verb straight after the meal phrase, like zum Frühstück (for breakfast) or zum Mittagessen (for lunch).
- Zum Frühstück esse ich Toast und Marmelade - For breakfast I eat toast and jam.
- Zum Mittagessen esse ich Pizza und ich trinke Wasser - For lunch I eat pizza and I drink water.
Zum Abendessen esse ich gern Hähnchen und Gemüse, denn es ist lecker - For dinner I like eating chicken and vegetables because it is tasty.
German | English |
---|---|
das Frühstück | breakfast |
das Mittagessen | lunch |
das Abendessen | evening meal/dinner |
Quiz
Watch the video and test your understanding in this short quiz!
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