Below you’ll find a full word list organized by category, example sentences, a quiz, and the 3 most common mistakes learners make with food vocabulary.
Food is one of the first vocabulary topics every German learner tackles — and for good reason. You need these words at the supermarket, at a restaurant, or even just reading a recipe. The tricky part? Every single noun on this list comes with an article: der, die, or das. If you learn Brot without knowing it’s das Brot, you’ll run into problems later when you need to use cases, adjective endings, or pronouns.
This works exactly the same way as with people: just like you need to know it’s der Mann and die Frau, you need to memorize der Käse and die Milch. And yes — even das Mädchen (the girl) is neuter, so don’t expect grammatical gender to follow logic.
This guide gives you 30 essential food and drink words — organized by category, with articles and example sentences. After the vocabulary, there’s a short quiz so you can check if the words (and their genders) actually stuck.
If you want to explore more themed word lists beyond food, check out the full vocabulary overview — it covers 57 topics from A1 to C1.
Fruits (Obst)
| German | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| der Apfel | the apple | Ich esse jeden Tag einen Apfel. (I eat an apple every day.) |
| die Banane | the banana | Die Banane ist sehr süß. (The banana is very sweet.) |
| die Orange | the orange | Möchtest du eine Orange? (Would you like an orange?) |
Tip: Most fruit names in German are feminine (die). The big exception is der Apfel — it’s masculine. Nouns ending in -e are very often feminine, which is why die Banane, die Orange, die Birne, and die Traube all follow the same pattern.
Staple Foods (Grundnahrungsmittel)
| German | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| das Brot | the bread | Wir haben frisches Brot gekauft. (We bought fresh bread.) |
| die Butter | the butter | Kannst du mir die Butter reichen? (Can you pass me the butter?) |
| der Käse | the cheese | Ich mag Käse auf meinem Brot. (I like cheese on my bread.) |
| die Milch | the milk | Die Milch ist im Kühlschrank. (The milk is in the fridge.) |
| das Ei | the egg | Das Ei ist hart gekocht. (The egg is hard-boiled.) |
| der Reis | the rice | Ich koche heute Reis. (I’m cooking rice today.) |
| die Nudeln | the noodles/pasta | Nudeln sind mein Lieblingsessen. (Pasta is my favorite food.) |
| die Kartoffel | the potato | Kartoffeln sind ein Grundnahrungsmittel. (Potatoes are a staple food.) |
Meat, Fish & Vegetables (Fleisch, Fisch & Gemüse)
| German | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| das Fleisch | the meat | Ich esse kein Fleisch. (I don’t eat meat.) |
| der Fisch | the fish | Der Fisch ist frisch gefangen. (The fish is freshly caught.) |
| das Gemüse | the vegetable(s) | Gemüse ist gesund. (Vegetables are healthy.) |
| die Suppe | the soup | Die Suppe ist sehr heiß. (The soup is very hot.) |
Drinks (Getränke)
| German | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| das Wasser | the water | Wasser ist wichtig für die Gesundheit. (Water is important for health.) |
| der Kaffee | the coffee | Der Kaffee ist noch heiß. (The coffee is still hot.) |
| der Tee | the tea | Trinken Sie Tee oder Kaffee? (Do you drink tea or coffee?) |
| der Saft | the juice | Ich trinke gern Orangensaft. (I like to drink orange juice.) |
| das Bier | the beer | Ein Bier, bitte! (A beer, please!) |
Cultural note: If you order ein Wasser in a German restaurant, you’ll usually get sparkling water (Sprudel). If you want still water, ask for stilles Wasser.
Sweets & Snacks (Süßes & Snacks)
| German | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| die Schokolade | the chocolate | Kinder lieben Schokolade. (Children love chocolate.) |
| der Kuchen | the cake | Der Kuchen ist selbstgebacken. (The cake is homemade.) |
Meals & General Words (Mahlzeiten & Allgemein)
| German | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| das Essen | the food | Das Essen in diesem Restaurant ist sehr lecker. (The food in this restaurant is very tasty.) |
| das Getränk | the drink/beverage | Was ist dein Lieblingsgetränk? (What is your favorite drink?) |
| das Frühstück | the breakfast | Das Frühstück ist die wichtigste Mahlzeit des Tages. (Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.) |
| das Mittagessen | the lunch | Um zwölf Uhr gibt es Mittagessen. (Lunch is at twelve o’clock.) |
| das Abendessen | the dinner | Wir essen um acht Uhr Abendessen. (We have dinner at eight o’clock.) |
Notice something? All three meal names — das Frühstück, das Mittagessen, das Abendessen — are neuter (das). That’s not a coincidence: compound nouns always take the gender of the last word. Das Essen is neuter, so das Mittagessen and das Abendessen are too.
Useful Verbs for Talking About Food
| German | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| essen | to eat | Ich esse gern Nudeln. (I like to eat pasta.) |
| trinken | to drink | Ich trinke jeden Morgen Kaffee. (I drink coffee every morning.) |
| kochen | to cook | Tina kocht jeden Tag. (Tina cooks every day.) |
These three verbs are among the most useful ones for beginners. If you want a bigger list, check out the most important A1 German verbs.
Want to practice ordering food in German? The café and restaurant vocabulary guide covers everything from booking a table to asking for the check.
Practice With Short Stories
Reading these words in context helps them stick. We’ve created three short stories about food and drinks, tailored to different levels:
Test Yourself: 5 Quick Questions
You’ve seen the vocabulary — now let’s check if the articles stuck. No guessing!
1. What is the correct article for Milch?
- A) der Milch
- B) die Milch
- C) das Milch
Check Answer
Milch is feminine. A common mistake is guessing “das” because milk feels “neutral” — but grammatical gender has nothing to do with the meaning of the word.
2. Which sentence is correct?
- A) Ich hätte gern ein Kaffee, bitte.
- B) Ich hätte gern einer Kaffee, bitte.
- C) Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee, bitte.
Check Answer
“Kaffee” is masculine (der Kaffee). After “Ich hätte gern” you need the accusative case — and for masculine nouns, “ein” becomes “einen.”
3. What is the correct article for Brot?
- A) der Brot
- B) die Brot
- C) das Brot
Check Answer
Brot is neuter. Many learners guess “der” here — but there’s no logical reason. You simply need to memorize it as “das Brot.”
4. What is the article for Bier?
- A) das Bier
- B) der Bier
- C) die Bier
Check Answer
Bier is neuter — das Bier. This is actually an exception: most alcoholic drinks in German are masculine (der Wein, der Schnaps, der Wodka), but Bier is neuter.
5. How do you say “I would like a soup, please” in German?
- A) Ich will eine Suppe, bitte.
- B) Ich hätte gern eine Suppe, bitte.
- C) Ich möchte ein Suppe, bitte.
- D) Ich hätte gern einen Suppe, bitte.
Check Answer
“Ich hätte gern” is the polite way to order in German. “Ich will” sounds demanding. And since Suppe is feminine (die Suppe), the accusative form is “eine Suppe” — not “ein” or “einen.”
Want more practice? Try the full free food vocabulary quiz or browse all vocabulary quizzes.
Is It Der, Die, Or Das? Practice Makes Perfect.
The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to drill — including everyday vocabulary like food, drinks, and more. Pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
Practice German Articles →Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Wrong: der Butter
✅ Correct: die Butter
💡 Why: “Butter” sounds similar to English, and since English has no grammatical gender, learners often guess wrong. Butter is feminine in German — always die Butter.
❌ Wrong: Mein Bruder esst gern Kuchen.
✅ Correct: Mein Bruder isst gern Kuchen.
💡 Why: Essen is an irregular verb — the stem vowel changes from e to i in the second and third person singular: du isst, er/sie isst. Not “du esst” or “er esst.” This is a classic conjugation mistake. For a full overview of verb forms, see the German present tense guide.
❌ Wrong: Ich möchte ein Suppe.
✅ Correct: Ich möchte eine Suppe.
💡 Why: Suppe is feminine (die Suppe), so the indefinite article in the accusative is eine — not ein. Getting the article right in the nominative is step one, but you also need it in every other case.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say “Food” in German?
The most common word is das Essen. You’ll also hear die Speise (dish/meal, more formal), die Mahlzeit (meal), and die Lebensmittel (groceries/foodstuffs). In everyday conversation, das Essen is the word you’ll use most.
How Do You Order Food in a German Restaurant?
Use the phrase “Ich hätte gern…” (I would like…) followed by the dish name. For example: “Ich hätte gern eine Suppe, bitte.” This is the polite standard — avoid “Ich will…” which sounds rude. For more restaurant phrases, see the café & restaurant vocabulary guide.
Are German Food Nouns Mostly Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter?
There’s no single rule — food nouns are spread across all three genders. However, some patterns help: most fruits ending in -e are feminine (die Banane, die Orange, die Birne). Meal names with -essen are always neuter (das Mittagessen, das Abendessen). Beyond that, you need to memorize each article individually.
What Is a Typical German Breakfast?
A typical German breakfast (das Frühstück) consists of bread or bread rolls (Brötchen) with cold cuts (Aufschnitt), cheese, butter, and jam, often with a boiled egg and a cup of coffee. It’s usually a cold meal — very different from the cooked breakfasts common in English-speaking countries.
You’ve Learned the Words. Now Make the Articles Stick.
10 minutes a day with the Article Trainer — and you’ll stop guessing der, die, das for good. 600+ nouns, instant feedback, real progress.
Start Practicing →Looking for more vocabulary topics? Browse all 57 vocabulary lists or test yourself with our vocabulary quizzes. If you want to work on grammar too, check out the grammar articles overview.
