A1 / Breakfast, Food, Drinks, Groceries, Restaurant Orders, Recipes, Eating Habits
Kapitel 4 focuses on Essen und Trinken: breakfast in a hotel, common foods and drinks, packaging and measures, grocery shopping, ordering in a restaurant, simple potato recipes, and talking about eating habits.
Briefing
What this dossier covers and how to know when you are ready to move on.
50terms
9verb records
8questions
0exercises
Word register
Start with must-memorize entries, then use examples and collocations to turn isolated words into speech.
NounPerson, place, thing, or idea. German nouns are capitalized.
VerbAction or state word. German verbs change form by pronoun.
GenderMasculine = der, feminine = die, neuter = das.
DifficultyMust memorize items should be reviewed first.
Filter by article
50 of 50 terms shownbreakfast
/froo-shtook/Ich esse zum Frühstück ein Brötchen. (For breakfast I eat a roll.)
Pluraldie Frühstücke
bread roll
/broet-khyen/Ich nehme zwei Brötchen. (I will take two rolls.)
Pluraldie Brötchen
bread
/broht/Das Brot ist frisch. (The bread is fresh.)
Pluraldie Brote
butter
/boot-ter/Ich esse Brot mit Butter. (I eat bread with butter.)
jam
/mar-meh-lah-duh/Ich mag Marmelade. (I like jam.)
Pluraldie Marmeladen
cheese
/kay-zuh/Ich kaufe 200 Gramm Käse. (I am buying 200 grams of cheese.)
Pluraldie Käse
ham
/shin-ken/Ich nehme den rohen Schinken. (I will take the raw ham.)
Pluraldie Schinken
egg
/eye/Ich esse ein gekochtes Ei. (I eat a boiled egg.)
Pluraldie Eier
coffee
/kah-fay/Ich möchte eine Tasse Kaffee. (I would like a cup of coffee.)
Pluraldie Kaffees
tea
/tay/Ich trinke gern Tee. (I like drinking tea.)
Pluraldie Tees
milk
/milkh/Ich brauche einen Liter Milch. (I need one liter of milk.)
water
/vas-ser/Ich hätte gern ein Mineralwasser. (I would like a mineral water.)
Pluraldie Wasser
orange juice
/oh-ran-zhen-zaft/Ich trinke ein Glas Orangensaft. (I am drinking a glass of orange juice.)
Pluraldie Orangensäfte
wine
/vine/Ich nehme ein Glas Wein. (I will take a glass of wine.)
Pluraldie Weine
beer
/beer/Zum Wohl! Ich trinke ein Bier. (Cheers! I am drinking a beer.)
Pluraldie Biere
apple
/ap-fel/Ich kaufe drei Äpfel. (I am buying three apples.)
Pluraldie Äpfel
banana
/bah-nah-nuh/Ich esse eine Banane. (I am eating a banana.)
Pluraldie Bananen
potato
/kar-tof-fel/Kartoffeln sind in Deutschland beliebt. (Potatoes are popular in Germany.)
Pluraldie Kartoffeln
onion
/tsvee-bel/Schneiden Sie die Zwiebel. (Cut the onion.)
Pluraldie Zwiebeln
salad
/zah-laht/Wie schmeckt der Salat? (How does the salad taste?)
Pluraldie Salate
fish
/fish/Ich esse sehr gern Fisch. (I really like eating fish.)
Pluraldie Fische
salmon
/lahkhs/Ich nehme den Lachs. (I will take the salmon.)
Pluraldie Lachse
schnitzel
/shnit-sel/Vielleicht esse ich das Schnitzel. (Maybe I will eat the schnitzel.)
Pluraldie Schnitzel
soup
/zoo-puh/Die Suppe schmeckt gut. (The soup tastes good.)
Pluraldie Suppen
meat
/flysh/Ich mag kein Fleisch. (I do not like meat.)
vegetables
/guh-myoo-zuh/Gemüse ist gesund. (Vegetables are healthy.)
Pluraldie Gemüse
fruit
/ohpst/Isst du täglich Obst? (Do you eat fruit daily?)
kilo
/kee-loh/Ich möchte ein Kilo Kartoffeln. (I would like one kilo of potatoes.)
Pluraldie Kilo
gram
/gram/Ich brauche 200 Gramm Schinken. (I need 200 grams of ham.)
Pluraldie Gramm
liter
/lee-ter/Ich trinke täglich zwei Liter Wasser. (I drink two liters of water daily.)
Pluraldie Liter
bottle
/flash-uh/Ich kaufe eine Flasche Wasser. (I am buying a bottle of water.)
Pluraldie Flaschen
glass
/glahs/Ein Glas Weißwein, bitte. (A glass of white wine, please.)
Pluraldie Gläser
cup
/tah-suh/Ich hätte gern eine Tasse Tee. (I would like a cup of tea.)
Pluraldie Tassen
slice
/shy-buh/Ich nehme zwei Scheiben Brot. (I will take two slices of bread.)
Pluraldie Scheiben
bill; check
/rekh-noong/Die Rechnung, bitte. (The bill, please.)
Pluraldie Rechnungen
selection; choice
/ows-vahl/Die Auswahl ist schwer. (The choice is difficult.)
Pluraldie Auswahlen
tasty; delicious
/lek-er/Der Salat ist lecker. (The salad is tasty.)
healthy
/guh-zoont/Rohes Gemüse ist gesund. (Raw vegetables are healthy.)
raw
/roh/In Japan isst man Fisch oft roh. (In Japan people often eat fish raw.)
fresh
/frish/Ich kaufe frisches Brot. (I am buying fresh bread.)
to take; to choose
/nay-men/Ich nehme den Lachs. (I will take the salmon.)
to eat
/es-sen/Wir essen im Restaurant. (We are eating in the restaurant.)
to drink
/trin-ken/Ich trinke gern Kaffee. (I like drinking coffee.)
to like
/moe-gen/Ich mag Kartoffelsalat. (I like potato salad.)
would like
/moekh-ten/Ich möchte bitte zahlen. (I would like to pay, please.)
to buy
/kow-fen/Wir kaufen Bioprodukte. (We are buying organic products.)
to cost
/kos-ten/Was kostet das? (What does that cost?)
to cut
/shny-den/Schneiden Sie die Äpfel. (Cut the apples.)
to cook; to boil
/kokh-en/Kochen Sie die Kartoffeln. (Boil the potatoes.)
to taste
/shmek-en/Der Fisch schmeckt sehr gut. (The fish tastes very good.)
No vocabulary cards match that article.
Sound lab
Read the spelling, stress, and mouth cue together. English approximations are prompts, not exact equivalents.
Structure check
Each rule pairs a failed form with the corrected construction so the contrast remains explicit without relying on color.
Direct objects after nehmen, essen, trinken, kaufen, and bestellen are usually accusative.
ReplaceIch nehme der Lachs.
UseIch nehme den Lachs. (I will take the salmon.)
Masculine der changes to den in the accusative.
With masculine nouns, ein changes to einen after many food-ordering verbs.
ReplaceIch trinke ein Kaffee.
UseIch trinke einen Kaffee. (I am drinking a coffee.)
der Kaffee is masculine, so the accusative form is einen Kaffee.
In the accusative, das/ein and die/eine do not change.
ReplaceIch esse einen Schnitzel.
UseIch esse ein Schnitzel. (I am eating a schnitzel.)
das Schnitzel is neuter, so ein stays ein.
Use mögen mostly with nouns or pronouns to say what you like or do not like.
ReplaceIch möge Käse.
UseIch mag Käse. (I like cheese.)
The ich form is mag, not möge, in A1 present tense.
Use ich möchte or ich hätte gern to order politely.
ReplaceIch will die Rechnung.
UseIch möchte bitte zahlen. (I would like to pay, please.)
möchte sounds polite in shops and restaurants.
Use quantities before foods: ein Kilo Kartoffeln, ein Liter Milch, 200 Gramm Schinken.
ReplaceIch möchte ein Kilo Kartoffel.
UseIch möchte ein Kilo Kartoffeln. (I would like one kilo of potatoes.)
After a measure, the food often appears in plural or mass form.
Recipe instructions often use Sie commands with the verb first.
ReplaceSie schneiden die Äpfel.
UseSchneiden Sie die Äpfel. (Cut the apples.)
Formal commands use Verb + Sie.
Use war from sein and hatte from haben for simple past restaurant or travel comments.
ReplaceLetztes Jahr sind wir in Japan.
UseLetztes Jahr waren wir in Japan. (Last year we were in Japan.)
The chapter introduces simple past forms of sein and haben.
for; at the time of
mealsZum Frühstück esse ich Obst. (For breakfast I eat fruit.)with
food combinationsIch nehme Brot mit Käse. (I will take bread with cheese.)in
places and containersWir essen in einem Restaurant. (We eat in a restaurant.)from; made of
origin or componentsDas Frühstück besteht aus Brot und Kaffee. (The breakfast consists of bread and coffee.)for
recipe servingsDas Rezept ist für vier Personen. (The recipe is for four people.)Conjugation matrix
Rows align each speaker with a reference ending and the same five verbs, making regular and irregular forms comparable on a common grid.
Choose the pronoun first. The ending column is a regular-verb reference; the sourced forms show where common irregular and stem-changing verbs differ.
| Pronoun | Use | Regular reference ending | nehmen | essen | trinken | mögen | möchten |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | Use for yourself: I | -e | nehme | esse | trinke | mag | möchte |
| du | Use with one friend, child, classmate, or family member: informal you | -st | nimmst | isst | trinkst | magst | möchtest |
| er/sie/es | Use for one person or thing: he, she, it | -t | nimmt | isst | trinkt | mag | möchte |
| wir | Use for a group including yourself: we | -en | nehmen | essen | trinken | mögen | möchten |
| ihr | Use with several people you know well: informal plural you | -t | nehmt | esst | trinkt | mögt | möchtet |
| sie/Sie | Use for they, or formal you with capital Sie | -en | nehmen | essen | trinken | mögen | möchten |
Verb register
Open one record at a time and compare forms vertically by pronoun.
ichnehmeI take
dunimmstyou take
er/sie/esnimmthe/she/it takes
wirnehmenwe take
ihrnehmtyou all take
sie/Sienehmenthey/you formal take
ichesseI eat
duisstyou eat
er/sie/esissthe/she/it eats
wiressenwe eat
ihresstyou all eat
sie/Sieessenthey/you formal eat
ichtrinkeI drink
dutrinkstyou drink
er/sie/estrinkthe/she/it drinks
wirtrinkenwe drink
ihrtrinktyou all drink
sie/Sietrinkenthey/you formal drink
ichmagI like
dumagstyou like
er/sie/esmaghe/she/it likes
wirmögenwe like
ihrmögtyou all like
sie/Siemögenthey/you formal like
ichmöchteI would like
dumöchtestyou would like
er/sie/esmöchtehe/she/it would like
wirmöchtenwe would like
ihrmöchtetyou all would like
sie/Siemöchtenthey/you formal would like
ichkaufeI buy
dukaufstyou buy
er/sie/eskaufthe/she/it buys
wirkaufenwe buy
ihrkauftyou all buy
sie/Siekaufenthey/you formal buy
ichkosteI cost
dukostestyou cost
er/sie/eskostethe/she/it costs
wirkostenwe cost
ihrkostetyou all cost
sie/Siekostenthey/you formal cost
ichschneideI cut
duschneidestyou cut
er/sie/esschneidethe/she/it cuts
wirschneidenwe cut
ihrschneidetyou all cut
sie/Sieschneidenthey/you formal cut
ichkocheI cook
dukochstyou cook
er/sie/eskochthe/she/it cooks
wirkochenwe cook
ihrkochtyou all cook
sie/Siekochenthey/you formal cook
Sentence frames
Read each row from structure to purpose to a complete example.
I would like _____.
Polite ordering in a cafe, restaurant, or shop
Ich hätte gern eine Tasse Kaffee. (I would like a cup of coffee.)I will take _____.
Choosing from a menu or counter
Ich nehme den Lachs. (I will take the salmon.)For breakfast I eat/drink _____.
Talking about food habits
Zum Frühstück trinke ich Tee. (For breakfast I drink tea.)I would like to _____, please.
Polite restaurant requests
Ich möchte bitte zahlen. (I would like to pay, please.)I would like _____ grams/kilos/liters of _____.
Grocery shopping with measures
Ich möchte bitte 200 Gramm Schinken. (I would like 200 grams of ham, please.)What does _____ cost?
Asking prices
Was kostet ein Kilo Kartoffeln? (What does one kilo of potatoes cost?)How does _____ taste?
Asking about food
Wie schmeckt der Salat? (How does the salad taste?)_____ tastes good/tasty/terrible.
Giving an opinion about food
Der Fisch schmeckt sehr gut. (The fish tastes very good.)I like _____ / I do not like _____.
Likes and dislikes
Ich mag Käse, aber ich mag keinen Fisch. (I like cheese, but I do not like fish.)Please do the action to the object.
Formal recipe instructions
Schneiden Sie die Äpfel. (Cut the apples.)In _____ people eat/drink _____.
Talking about food habits in places
In Deutschland isst man gern Brötchen. (In Germany people like eating rolls.)Last year I was/had _____.
Short past comments with **sein** and **haben**
Letztes Jahr war ich in Italien. (Last year I was in Italy.)Interview prompts
Formal and informal prompts stay next to a natural response so you can rehearse complete exchanges.
What do you eat for breakfast?
A: Was essen Sie zum Frühstück? (What do you eat for breakfast?)
B: Zum Frühstück esse ich ein Brötchen mit Käse. (For breakfast I eat a roll with cheese.)
What do you like drinking?
A: Was trinken Sie gern? (What do you like drinking?)
B: Ich trinke gern Kaffee und Wasser. (I like drinking coffee and water.)
What are you taking?
A: Was nimmst du? (What are you taking?)
B: Ich nehme den Lachs. (I will take the salmon.)
How does the salad taste?
A: Wie schmeckt der Salat? (How does the salad taste?)
B: Er schmeckt sehr gut. (It tastes very good.)
What does that cost?
A: Was kostet das? (What does that cost?)
B: Das kostet 3,50 Euro. (That costs 3.50 euros.)
Do you like fish?
A: Mögen Sie Fisch? (Do you like fish?)
B: Ja, ich esse sehr gern Fisch. (Yes, I really like eating fish.)
Do you like cooking?
A: Kochen Sie gern? (Do you like cooking?)
B: Ja, ich koche gern Kartoffelsuppe. (Yes, I like cooking potato soup.)
I would like to pay, please. Is that possible?
Gast: Ich möchte bitte zahlen. (I would like to pay, please.)
Kellner: Ja, die Rechnung kommt sofort. (Yes, the bill is coming right away.)
Topic files
Related words stay together; country records align capital, language, and a usable sentence.
GermanMeaningGermanMeaning
das Frühstückbreakfast
das Brötchenbread roll
die Butterbutter
die Marmeladejam
das gekochte Eiboiled egg
die Tasse Kaffeecup of coffee
GermanMeaningGermanMeaning
der Käsecheese
der Schinkenham
der Lachssalmon
das Schnitzelschnitzel
das Mineralwassermineral water
der Orangensaftorange juice
GermanMeaningGermanMeaning
ein Kilo Kartoffelnone kilo of potatoes
200 Gramm Schinken200 grams of ham
ein Liter Milchone liter of milk
eine Flasche Wasserone bottle of water
zwei Scheiben Brottwo slices of bread
GermanMeaningGermanMeaning
Ich nehme den Lachs.I will take the salmon.
Guten Appetit!Enjoy your meal!
Danke, gleichfalls.Thanks, same to you.
Die Rechnung, bitte.The bill, please.
Ich möchte bitte zahlen.I would like to pay, please.
GermanMeaningGermanMeaning
Kartoffeln schälento peel potatoes
Äpfel schneidento cut apples
Kartoffeln kochento boil potatoes
Gemüse bratento fry vegetables
Suppe würzento season soup
Number register
Numeric values are ordered within their source groups; display strings such as prices and phone numbers keep their original meaning.
100 g100 Grammhundert gram
200 g200 Gramm Schinkenzweihundert gram shin-ken
500 g500 Gramm Kartoffelnfünfhundert gram kar-tof-feln
1 kgein Kilo Kartoffelnayn kee-loh kar-tof-feln
1 lein Liter Milchayn lee-ter milkh
1 Flascheeine Flasche Wassereye-nuh flash-uh vas-ser
1 Glasein Glas Weinayn glahs vine
1 Tasseeine Tasse Kaffeeeye-nuh tah-suh kah-fay
2 Scheibenzwei Scheiben Brottsvy shy-ben broht
1,20 Euroein Euro zwanzigayn oy-roh tsvan-tsikh
3,50 Eurodrei Euro fünfzigdry oy-roh fuenf-tsikh
12,80 Eurozwölf Euro achtzigtsvoelf oy-roh akh-tsikh
37,50 Eurosiebenunddreißig Euro fünfzigzee-ben-oont-dry-sikh oy-roh fuenf-tsikh
4 Personenfür vier Personenfuer feer per-zoh-nen
20 Minutenetwa zwanzig Minutenet-vah tsvan-tsikh mee-noo-ten
10 Minutencirca zehn Minutentseer-kah tsayn mee-noo-ten
Speaking practice
Speaker labels and translations use redundant position and text, not color alone.
Choosing breakfast in a hotel
Saying what you eat and drink for breakfastGuten Morgen! Was möchten Sie zum Frühstück?Good morning! What would you like for breakfast?
Ich hätte gern zwei Brötchen, Butter und Marmelade.I would like two rolls, butter, and jam.
Möchten Sie Kaffee oder Tee?Would you like coffee or tea?
Eine Tasse Kaffee und ein Glas Orangensaft, bitte.A cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice, please.
Buying food at a market or shop
Using quantities and pricesGuten Tag! Was möchten Sie?Hello! What would you like?
Ich möchte bitte ein Kilo Kartoffeln und 200 Gramm Käse.I would like one kilo of potatoes and 200 grams of cheese, please.
Sonst noch etwas?Anything else?
Ja, eine Flasche Wasser. Was kostet das zusammen?Yes, one bottle of water. What does that cost together?
Das macht 6,80 Euro.That makes 6.80 euros.
Ordering from a menu
Ordering food and drinksWas nehmen Sie?What will you take?
Ich nehme den Lachs und ein Mineralwasser.I will take the salmon and a mineral water.
Sehr gern. Und Sie?Very gladly. And you?
Ich esse das Schnitzel und trinke ein Glas Wein.I will eat the schnitzel and drink a glass of wine.
Danke. Guten Appetit!Thank you. Enjoy your meal!
Asking for the bill
Paying politelyWie war das Essen?How was the food?
Danke, sehr gut. Ich möchte bitte zahlen.Thank you, very good. I would like to pay, please.
Das waren zweimal Lachs, ein Glas Wein und ein Mineralwasser. Macht zusammen 37,50 Euro.That was two salmon, one glass of wine, and one mineral water. That makes 37.50 euros.
Hier, bitte. Danke sehr.Here you are. Thank you very much.
Class interview
Talking about daily food habitsEssen Sie gesund?Do you eat healthily?
Ja, ich esse viel Gemüse und Obst.Yes, I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.
Kochen Sie gern?Do you like cooking?
Ja, sonntags koche ich oft Kartoffelsuppe.Yes, on Sundays I often cook potato soup.
Practice desk
Check one answer at a time. The exercise mix summarizes the source data without turning completion into an invented score.
No practice exercises are available for this lesson.
Recall drill
Reveal the answer deliberately, then move through the deck in source order.
Lesson deck
12 cardsCard 1 of 12. Front shown.
Memory cues
Each cue connects a recall anchor to the target language without decorative ranking.
AnchorIch hätte gern... is the safest polite opener: use it in hotels, shops, and restaurants.
RecallIch nehme... sounds like pointing at a menu: I will take this item.
AnchorEnd restaurant meals with Die Rechnung, bitte or Ich möchte bitte zahlen.
AnchorOnly masculine changes clearly: der/ein Kaffee becomes den/einen Kaffee.
RecallThink N for masculine accusative: deN, eineN, keineN.
AnchorFeminine and neuter are calmer: eine Suppe, ein Schnitzel stay the same.
AnchorFood shopping often starts with the amount: ein Kilo, 200 Gramm, ein Liter, eine Flasche.
RecallLearn the whole chunk: ein Kilo Kartoffeln, not just Kartoffeln.
AnchorFor slices, use die Scheibe: zwei Scheiben Brot.
AnchorRecipe commands often begin with the action: Schneiden Sie..., Kochen Sie..., Geben Sie....
RecallPair recipe verbs with foods: Kartoffeln schälen, Äpfel schneiden, Suppe würzen.
Correction log
Replacement and correction are always labelled, so the distinction never depends on red and blue alone.
Replace
Use
Ich nehme den Lachs. (I will take the salmon.)Replace
Use
Ich trinke einen Kaffee. (I am drinking a coffee.)Replace
Use
Ich mag Käse. (I like cheese.)Replace
Use
Ich möchte ein Kilo Kartoffeln. (I would like one kilo of potatoes.)Replace
Use
Schneiden Sie die Äpfel! (Cut the apples!)Replace
Use
Zum Frühstück esse ich Brot. (For breakfast I eat bread.)Replace
Use
Letztes Jahr waren wir in Japan. (Last year we were in Japan.)Quick reference
Compact source-derived reference rows for use during review.
Readiness check
This checklist shares the browser-local record from the overview and reports completion as a labelled linear progress bar.
Final interview
Answer before opening each disclosure; no score is claimed because the source contains answers, not assessed responses.
What does das Frühstück mean?
Complete: Ich nehme _____ Lachs.
Complete: Ich _____ Käse. (mögen)
Translate: Was kostet das?
What is eine Flasche Wasser in English?
Give the plural: der Apfel.
Translate: I would like a soup.
Correct this: Zum Frühstück ich trinke Tee.
Complete: Letztes Jahr _____ wir in Japan. (sein)
Order one drink and one food item politely.
Make a formal recipe command: die Äpfel / schneiden.
Ask someone what they eat for breakfast.
Answer register
The count reflects individual answer records rather than the number of source groups.
Source archive
A read-only snapshot of the original consolidated material.
Every structured section from lesson-04/lesson.yaml is preserved here as readable review material.
Kapitel 4, Essen und Trinken, covers hotel breakfast, foods, drinks, measures and packaging, grocery shopping, restaurant ordering, simple potato recipes, and personal eating habits.
Learners practice Zum Frühstück esse ich... and Zum Frühstück trinke ich... with foods such as Brötchen, Butter, Marmelade, Käse, Schinken, Eier, Kaffee, Tee, and Orangensaft.
Core shopping chunks are ein Kilo Kartoffeln, 200 Gramm Schinken, ein Liter Milch, eine Flasche Wasser, ein Glas Wein, eine Tasse Kaffee, and zwei Scheiben Brot. The main question is Was kostet das?
Restaurant language includes Was nimmst du?, Ich nehme den Lachs, Ich esse das Schnitzel, Guten Appetit, Wie war das Essen?, Ich möchte bitte zahlen, and Die Rechnung, bitte.
The lesson emphasizes accusative noun groups after nehmen, essen, trinken, kaufen, and bestellen; the modal-like verb mögen for likes; polite möchten and Ich hätte gern; plural forms; formal recipe imperatives; and simple past war/waren and hatte/hatten.
Recipe language centers on potatoes: Kartoffeln schälen, alles klein schneiden, Kartoffeln kochen, Suppe pürieren, Suppe mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen, and alles vermengen.