der Apfel
Apple
FruitLearn German food vocabulary, drinks, ingredients, meals, and essential restaurant phrases with clear English translations. From ordering a coffee to understanding a German menu, build practical vocabulary for everyday life in Germany.
Start with the everyday words you will see at home, in supermarkets, on menus, and in German-language lessons. Learn each noun together with its article: der, die, or das.
| German | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| das Essen | food / meal | Das Essen ist fertig. — The meal is ready. |
| das Lebensmittel | food item / grocery | Ich kaufe Lebensmittel. — I buy groceries. |
| das Frühstück | breakfast | Das Frühstück ist lecker. — Breakfast is delicious. |
| das Mittagessen | lunch | Das Mittagessen ist um zwölf. — Lunch is at twelve. |
| das Abendessen | dinner / evening meal | Wir essen Abendessen. — We eat dinner. |
| der Hunger | hunger | Ich habe Hunger. — I am hungry. |
| der Durst | thirst | Ich habe Durst. — I am thirsty. |
| der Geschmack | taste / flavour | Der Geschmack ist gut. — The flavour is good. |
| die Speisekarte | menu | Die Speisekarte, bitte. — The menu, please. |
| die Rechnung | bill | Die Rechnung, bitte. — The bill, please. |
| die Mahlzeit | meal | Guten Appetit! — Enjoy your meal! |
| das Gericht | dish | Das Gericht ist vegetarisch. — The dish is vegetarian. |
Remember: In German, essen can mean “to eat,” while das Essen means “food” or “the meal.” Context tells you which meaning is intended.
These German fruit and vegetable names are useful for shopping, cooking, discussing preferences, and understanding grocery labels.
Apple
FruitBanana
FruitOrange
FruitGrape
FruitStrawberry
FruitPear
FruitPotato
VegetableCarrot
VegetableTomato
VegetableOnion
VegetableCucumber
VegetableLettuce / salad
VegetableBell pepper
VegetableMushroom
VegetableGarlic
Herb / seasoningParsley
HerbShopping example: Ich hätte gern zwei Äpfel und eine Gurke. — I would like two apples and one cucumber.
Build a practical German food vocabulary for breakfast, cooking, meal planning, and reading ingredient lists.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Brot | Bread |
| das Brötchen | Bread roll |
| der Reis | Rice |
| die Nudeln (pl.) | Pasta / noodles |
| das Mehl | Flour |
| der Hafer | Oats |
| das Müsli | Muesli |
| der Kuchen | Cake |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Milch | Milk |
| der Käse | Cheese |
| die Butter | Butter |
| der Joghurt | Yoghurt |
| das Ei | Egg |
| die Sahne | Cream |
| der Quark | Quark / fresh dairy cheese |
| der Honig | Honey |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Fleisch | Meat |
| das Hähnchen | Chicken |
| das Rindfleisch | Beef |
| das Lammfleisch | Lamb |
| der Fisch | Fish |
| die Garnele | Prawn / shrimp |
| die Bohne | Bean |
| die Linse | Lentil |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Salz | Salt |
| der Pfeffer | Pepper |
| der Zucker | Sugar |
| das Öl | Oil |
| das Gewürz | Spice |
| die Soße / Sauce | Sauce |
| süß | Sweet |
| scharf | Spicy / hot |
Useful sentence: Ich esse kein Fleisch. — I do not eat meat.
Useful question: Was ist in diesem Gericht? — What is in this dish?
Use these German drink names and descriptive words to order confidently, explain your preferences, and understand what a dish or beverage tastes like.
Water
mit Kohlensäure — sparkling
ohne Kohlensäure — still
Coffee
mit Milch — with milk
ohne Zucker — without sugar
Tea
der Kräutertee — herbal tea
der Grüntee — green tea
Milk
die Hafermilch — oat milk
die Sojamilch — soy milk
Juice
der Orangensaft — orange juice
der Apfelsaft — apple juice
Soft drink / refreshment
die Limonade — lemonade / fizzy soft drink
| German | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| lecker | Delicious / tasty | Das ist sehr lecker. — That is very tasty. |
| süß | Sweet | Der Kuchen ist süß. — The cake is sweet. |
| sauer | Sour | Die Zitrone ist sauer. — The lemon is sour. |
| bitter | Bitter | Der Kaffee ist bitter. — The coffee is bitter. |
| salzig | Salty | Die Suppe ist salzig. — The soup is salty. |
| scharf | Spicy / hot | Das Curry ist scharf. — The curry is spicy. |
| vegetarisch | Vegetarian | Ich esse vegetarisch. — I eat vegetarian food. |
| vegan | Vegan | Haben Sie vegane Gerichte? — Do you have vegan dishes? |
| glutenfrei | Gluten-free | Gibt es glutenfreies Brot? — Is there gluten-free bread? |
Important distinction: scharf usually means spicy when describing food. It can also mean sharp in other contexts. Heiß means hot in temperature; scharf describes a spicy flavour.
Learn these common German phrases for entering a restaurant, ordering food and drinks, asking about ingredients, and paying the bill. Use the copy buttons to practise or save your favourite sentences.
Read the German aloud, then check the English translation. These short dialogues combine food vocabulary with polite everyday expressions.
Speaking tip: Ich hätte gern … is a polite, natural way to order. Ich möchte … is also correct and useful for beginners.
Food vocabulary becomes much easier when you learn how German articles, plurals, quantities, and common sentence patterns work together.
German nouns have grammatical gender. Memorise the noun with its article.
der Apfeldie Bananedas Brot
The article helps you use the noun correctly in a sentence.
Ich hätte gern + noun.
Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee. — I would like a coffee.
Ich hätte gern eine Suppe. — I would like a soup.
Ich hätte gern ein Wasser. — I would like a water.
The form of the article changes in these examples because the noun is the direct object.
Ich esse gern Obst.
I like eating fruit.
Ich trinke gern Tee.
I like drinking tea.
Ich esse nicht gern Fisch.
I don't like eating fish.
Gern expresses liking an activity; nicht gern expresses not liking it.
ein Kilo Äpfel — one kilo of apples
eine Flasche Wasser — a bottle of water
eine Tasse Tee — a cup of tea
ein Stück Kuchen — a piece of cake
The amount or container often takes the article; the food name may appear without one.
| Pattern | German example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ich esse … | Ich esse Brot. | I eat bread. |
| Ich trinke … | Ich trinke Wasser. | I drink water. |
| Ich mag … | Ich mag Käse. | I like cheese. |
| Ich möchte … | Ich möchte einen Tee. | I would like a tea. |
| Haben Sie …? | Haben Sie Hafermilch? | Do you have oat milk? |
| Wie viel kostet …? | Wie viel kostet der Salat? | How much does the salad cost? |
| Ohne …, bitte. | Ohne Zwiebeln, bitte. | Without onions, please. |
Test your memory before revealing each translation. Use the navigation buttons to work through the vocabulary set.
Think of the English meaning, then reveal the answer.
Study tip: say the German noun aloud with its article before revealing the English translation.
Choose one answer for each question. Submit the quiz to see your score and review your answers.
Mark each skill as you practise it. Your progress indicator updates as you go through the list.
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