A1 · Beginner Vocabulary
Whether you are ordering in a café or shopping at the supermarket, food and drink words are some of the most useful vocabulary you can learn. Here are the essentials with pronunciation and audio, each with its article so you learn the gender too.
Tap 🔊 to hear each word spoken in German.
Drinks (die Getränke)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Wasser | das VAS-er | water |
| der Kaffee | dair KAH-fay | coffee |
| der Tee | dair tay | tea |
| die Milch | dee milkh | milk |
| der Saft | dair zaft | juice |
| das Bier | das beer | beer |
| der Wein | dair vine | wine |
Food (das Essen)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Brot | das broht | bread |
| das Brötchen | das BRURT-khen | bread roll |
| der Käse | dair KAY-ze | cheese |
| das Ei | das eye | egg |
| das Fleisch | das flysh | meat |
| der Fisch | dair fish | fish |
| das Obst | das ohpst | fruit |
| der Apfel | dair AP-fel | apple |
| das Gemüse | das ge-MUU-ze | vegetables |
| die Kartoffel | dee kar-TOF-el | potato |
| die Suppe | dee ZOOP-e | soup |
| der Kuchen | dair KOO-khen | cake |
| das Salz | das zalts | salt |
| der Zucker | dair TSOOK-er | sugar |
Meals & useful words (die Mahlzeiten)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Frühstück | das FRUU-shtuuk | breakfast |
| das Mittagessen | das MIT-tahk-es-en | lunch |
| das Abendessen | das AH-bent-es-en | dinner |
| Ich möchte … | ikh MURKH-te | I would like … |
| Guten Appetit! | GOO-ten a-pe-TEET | Enjoy your meal! |
Learn the article, not just the word. Notice each noun comes with der, die or das — always learn them together, because the gender affects the whole sentence. Not sure how genders work? Start with our der, die, das guide.
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