📕 Lektion 7: Essen — Food, Plurals and Negation
🍽️ Welcome! In this lesson you'll learn food names in German, how to make words plural (more than one), and how to say "no" or "not" in sentences. A delicious and useful lesson!
🎬 Lesson Video
1. 🍎 New Words (Neue Wörter) — Food and Drinks
Before we start with grammar, let's learn the food words. These are super important for any conversation about eating and drinking.
🥤 Drinks (Getränke)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Wasser | dahs VAH-ser | water |
| der Tee | deer tay | tea |
| der Kaffee | deer kah-FAY | coffee |
| die Milch | dee milsh | milk |
| der Saft | deer zahft | juice |
| das Bier | dahs beer | beer |
| der Wein | deer vine | wine |
🍞 Food (Essen)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Brot | dahs broht | bread |
| der Käse | deer KAY-zuh | cheese |
| die Wurst | dee voorst | sausage / cold cuts |
| das Ei | dahs eye | egg |
| der Reis | deer rice | rice |
| die Nudeln (pl.) | dee NOO-deln | pasta / noodles (plural) |
| die Kartoffel | dee kar-TOF-el | potato |
| das Fleisch | dahs flysh | meat |
| das Hähnchen | dahs HAYNKH-en | chicken |
| der Fisch | deer fish | fish |
| der Schinken | deer SHINK-en | ham |
🥗 Fruit and Vegetables (Obst und Gemüse)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Apfel | deer AHP-fel | apple |
| die Banane | dee bah-NAH-nuh | banana |
| die Orange | dee oh-RAN-jhuh | orange |
| die Tomate | dee toh-MAH-tuh | tomato |
| der Salat | deer zah-LAHT | salad |
| die Gurke | dee GOOR-kuh | cucumber |
| die Karotte | dee kah-ROT-tuh | carrot |
🍰 Desserts and Other Things (Süßes und Anderes)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Kuchen | deer KOO-khen | cake |
| der Zucker | deer TSOO-ker | sugar |
| das Salz | dahs zahltz | salt |
| die Butter | dee BOO-ter | butter |
| der Hunger | deer HOON-ger | hunger |
| der Durst | deer doorst | thirst |
💡 Tip: Always learn each word with its article (der/die/das)! This helps you know the plural form later.
2. 🔢 Plurals in German (Der Plural)
In English, we usually add "-s" or "-es" (cat → cats, box → boxes). In German, there are different ways to make plurals. Let's learn the most common ones!
The Basic Rule:
| Singular Article | Plural Article |
|---|---|
| der → | die |
| die → | die |
| das → | die |
All nouns in plural take the article die! Easy, right?
🟢 Way 1: Add -e (most common for masculine words)
| Singular | Plural | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Tisch | die Tische | dee TISH-uh | tables |
| der Fisch | die Fische | dee FISH-uh | fishes |
| der Salat | die Salate | dee zah-LAH-tuh | salads |
| der Kuchen | die Kuchen | — (same word!) | cakes |
| der Schinken | die Schinken | — (same word!) | hams |
🟡 Way 2: Add -n or -en (mostly for feminine words)
| Singular | Plural | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| die Banane | die Bananen | dee bah-NAH-nen | bananas |
| die Tomate | die Tomaten | dee toh-MAH-ten | tomatoes |
| die Orange | die Orangen | dee oh-RAN-jhen | oranges |
| die Kartoffel | die Kartoffeln | dee kar-TOF-eln | potatoes |
| die Gurke | die Gurken | dee GOOR-ken | cucumbers |
🟠 Way 3: Add -er (mostly for neuter words + vowel change)
| Singular | Plural | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| das Ei | die Eier | dee EYE-er | eggs |
| das Kind | die Kinder | dee KIN-der | children |
🔵 Way 4: Add -s (for foreign words)
| Singular | Plural | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| das Auto | die Autos | dee OW-tohs | cars |
| das Café | die Cafés | dee kah-FAYS | cafés |
🟣 Way 5: Change the vowel (Umlaut only — no extra ending)
Some words just change the vowel (a → ä, o → ö, u → ü) and that's the plural!
| Singular | Plural | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Apfel | die Äpfel | dee EP-fel | apples |
| der Vater | die Väter | dee FAY-ter | fathers |
| der Bruder | die Brüder | dee BRÜ-der | brothers |
| die Mutter | die Mütter | dee MÜ-ter | mothers |
🟤 Way 6: Vowel change + add -e
| Singular | Plural | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Sohn | die Söhne | dee ZÖH-nuh | sons |
| der Hof | die Höfe | dee HÖH-fuh | courtyards |
🎯 Summary for plurals: - Feminine words mostly add -n/-en (die Banane → die Bananen) - Masculine words mostly add -e (der Tisch → die Tische) - Neuter words may add -er (das Ei → die Eier) - Some words don't change in the plural (der Kuchen → die Kuchen — same word!) - Best tip: Learn the plural form with every new word from the start!
🧪 Plural examples from this lesson:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Brot | die Brote | breads / loaves |
| der Fisch | die Fische | fish (plural) |
| die Wurst | die Würste | sausages / cold cuts |
| der Salat | die Salate | salads |
| der Apfel | die Äpfel | apples |
| die Kartoffel | die Kartoffeln | potatoes |
3. 🚫 Negation in German (Negation)
In German there are two ways to say "no" or "not". One is for verbs and adjectives, the other is for nouns. Let's learn the difference!
Way 1: nicht = "not" (for negating verbs or adjectives)
Use nicht when you want to say someone does NOT do something, or something is NOT something.
📌 Word order:
Verb ... nicht. — verb + ... + nicht (often at the end)
Examples with verbs:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich esse nicht. | I don't eat. |
| Ich trinke nicht. | I don't drink. |
| Er arbeitet nicht. | He doesn't work. |
| Sie schläft nicht. | She doesn't sleep. |
| Das ist nicht gut. | That is not good. |
| Der Kaffee ist nicht heiß. | The coffee is not hot. |
nicht negates the verb or adjective. Put it at the end of the sentence most of the time!
Way 2: kein / keine = "no / not a / not any" (for negating nouns)
Use kein when you want to say there is NO something (I don't have... / there isn't...). It changes depending on the gender of the noun:
| Noun type | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (der) | kein | kein Kaffee — no coffee |
| Feminine (die) | keine | keine Milch — no milk |
| Neuter (das) | kein | kein Wasser — no water |
| Plural (die) | keine | keine Äpfel — no apples |
Examples:
| German | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ich habe Hunger. | I'm hungry. | I have hunger |
| Ich habe keinen Hunger. | I'm not hungry. | I have no hunger |
| Ich möchte Kaffee. | I'd like coffee. | |
| Ich möchte keinen Kaffee. | I'd like no coffee. | I don't want coffee |
Note: kein changes to keinen with masculine nouns (Accusative case)! We'll learn more about Accusative in a later lesson. For now, focus on the difference between kein and keine.
🆚 Difference between nicht and kein
| nicht | kein / keine |
|---|---|
| Negates the verb or adjective | Negates the noun |
| Ich esse nicht. (I don't eat) | Ich esse kein Fleisch. (I eat no meat) |
| Das ist nicht heiß. (That's not hot) | Ich habe keine Milch. (I have no milk) |
Comparison sentences:
| German | English | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ich trinke nicht. | I don't drink. | nicht (negates verb) |
| Ich trinke kein Bier. | I don't drink beer. | kein (negates noun: beer) |
| Das Brot ist nicht frisch. | The bread isn't fresh. | nicht (negates adjective) |
| Ich habe keine Bananen. | I have no bananas. | keine (negates noun: bananas) |
| Er kommt nicht. | He isn't coming. | nicht (negates verb) |
⚠️ Golden Rule: - If there's a verb or adjective you want to negate → use nicht at the end - If there's a noun you want to say doesn't exist → use kein/keine before the noun - kein with masculine/neuter / keine with feminine/plural
4. 💬 Conversation (Gespräch) — At the Restaurant
Here is a conversation between Anna (customer) and Kellner (waiter) at a restaurant:
Kellner: Guten Tag! Was möchten Sie essen? (Good day! What would you like to eat?)
Anna: Guten Tag! Ich möchte einen Salat, bitte. (Good day! I'd like a salad, please.)
Kellner: Möchten Sie auch etwas trinken? (Would you also like something to drink?)
Anna: Ja, ich möchte einen Orangensaft. Haben Sie auch Wasser? (Yes, I'd like an orange juice. Do you also have water?)
Kellner: Ja, wir haben Wasser mit und ohne Kohlensäure. (Yes, we have sparkling and still water.)
Anna: Ich möchte Wasser ohne Kohlensäure, bitte. (I'd like still water, please.)
Kellner: Möchten Sie Fleisch oder Fisch zum Salat? (Would you like meat or fish with the salad?)
Anna: Nein danke, ich esse kein Fleisch und keinen Fisch. Ich bin Vegetarierin. (No thanks, I eat no meat and no fish. I'm a vegetarian.)
Kellner: Kein Problem! Also, ein Mal Salat und einen Orangensaft. (No problem! So, one salad and one orange juice.)
Anna: Vielen Dank! (Thank you very much!)
Questions about the conversation:
| German question | English |
|---|---|
| Was möchte Anna essen? | What does Anna want to eat? |
| Was möchte Anna trinken? | What does Anna want to drink? |
| Isst Anna Fleisch? | Does Anna eat meat? |
| Warum isst Anna kein Fleisch? | Why doesn't Anna eat meat? |
✅ Answers:
- Anna möchte einen Salat essen.
- Anna möchte Orangensaft und Wasser trinken.
- Nein, Anna isst kein Fleisch.
- Anna ist Vegetarierin.
5. 📝 Extra Important Words — At the Restaurant
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Kellner | deer KEL-ner | waiter |
| die Kellnerin | dee KEL-ner-in | waitress |
| die Speisekarte | dee SHPY-zuh-KAR-tuh | menu |
| die Rechnung | dee REKH-noong | the bill / check |
| bestellen | be-SHTEL-en | to order |
| bezahlen | be-TSAH-len | to pay |
| schmecken | SHMEK-en | to taste (e.g. "it tastes good") |
| lecker | LEK-er | delicious |
| scharf | shahrf | spicy |
| kalt | kahlt | cold |
| heiß | hyce | hot |
| frisch | frish | fresh |
6. 🗣️ Lesson Vocabulary (Wortschatz)
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Essen | dahs ES-en | food / eating |
| das Trinken | dahs TRINK-en | drinking |
| der Hunger | deer HOON-ger | hunger |
| der Durst | deer doorst | thirst |
| der Geschmack | deer ge-SHMAK | taste / flavor |
| das Frühstück | dahs FRÖÖ-shtük | breakfast |
| das Mittagessen | dahs MIT-ahk-es-en | lunch |
| das Abendessen | dahs AH-bent-es-en | dinner / supper |
| der Teller | deer TEL-er | plate |
| das Glas | dahs glahs | glass |
| die Tasse | dee TAH-suh | cup |
| die Flasche | dee FLAH-shuh | bottle |
| das Besteck | dahs be-SHTEK | cutlery |
| der Löffel | deer LÖF-fel | spoon |
| die Gabel | dee GAH-bel | fork |
| das Messer | dahs MES-er | knife |
| der Tisch | deer teesh | table |
| schmecken | SHMEK-en | to taste |
| lecker | LEK-er | delicious |
| süß | züss | sweet |
| salzig | ZAHLT-sikh | salty |
| sauer | ZOW-er | sour |
| bitter | BIT-er | bitter |
| scharf | shahrf | spicy / hot |
| frisch | frish | fresh |
| heiß | hyce | hot (temperature) |
| kalt | kahlt | cold |
| nicht | nikht | not (negates verb/adjective) |
| kein / keine | kine / KINE-uh | no / not any (negates noun) |
| Haben Sie…? | HAH-ben zee | Do you have…? |
| Ich möchte… | ish MÖKH-tuh | I would like… |
| Ich hätte gern… | ish HAT-tuh gairn | I would like… (polite) |
✅ Lesson Summary
| What you learned | Key sentence |
|---|---|
| Food and drink names | Ich möchte einen Salat. |
| Plurals (Plural) | der Apfel → die Äpfel |
| Negation with nicht | Ich esse nicht. |
| Negation with kein/keine | Ich habe keine Milch. |
| Ordering food at a restaurant | Ich möchte …, bitte. |
| Describing food | Das schmeckt lecker! |
🎉 Excellent! You've completed Lektion 7! Now you can talk about food, make words plural, and say negative sentences. Hungry yet? 😄 👉 Next step: Go to the 📝 Übungsbuch exercises Lektion 07 and practice to make it stick!