German food and drink words: 30 words with example sentences

Most German food words come with der/die/das and gender is hard to predict, so learning each noun with its article is the most reliable approach. When ordering, “Ich möchte …” (“I would like …”) is polite and common. We compiled these 30 words ourselves; they are not taken from an official list (beginner, around A1–A2).

How to use this list

• Build one order sentence: “Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte.”
• Note plural forms too (die Kartoffel → die Kartoffeln).
• Split long compound words on menus into their parts.

The 30-word list

German	English	Example sentence	Translation
das Brot	bread	Ich möchte etwas Brot.	I would like some bread.
das Wasser	water	Kann ich ein Glas Wasser haben?	Can I have a glass of water?
die Milch	milk	Ich gebe Milch in den Kaffee.	I put milk in my coffee.
der Kaffee	coffee	Ich trinke Kaffee am Morgen.	I drink coffee in the morning.
der Tee	tea	Möchten Sie Tee?	Would you like tea?
der Reis	rice	Wir essen Hähnchen mit Reis.	We eat chicken with rice.
das Fleisch	meat	Sie isst kein Fleisch.	She does not eat meat.
das Hähnchen	chicken	Das Hähnchen ist lecker.	The chicken is tasty.
der Fisch	fish	Fisch ist gesund.	Fish is healthy.
das Ei	egg	Ich esse ein Ei zum Frühstück.	I eat an egg for breakfast.
der Käse	cheese	Ich mag Käse auf dem Brot.	I like cheese on bread.
das Obst	fruit	Obst ist gesund.	Fruit is healthy.
der Apfel	apple	Ich esse jeden Tag einen Apfel.	I eat an apple every day.
die Banane	banana	Er nimmt eine Banane mit zur Arbeit.	He takes a banana to work.
das Gemüse	vegetables	Iss mehr Gemüse.	Eat more vegetables.
die Tomate	tomato	Gib eine Tomate in den Salat.	Put a tomato in the salad.
die Kartoffel	potato	Ich möchte Bratkartoffeln.	I would like fried potatoes.
die Zwiebel	onion	Sie schneidet die Zwiebel.	She cuts the onion.
das Salz	salt	Kannst du mir das Salz geben?	Can you pass me the salt?
der Zucker	sugar	Ich trinke Tee ohne Zucker.	I drink tea without sugar.
die Suppe	soup	Die Suppe ist heiß.	The soup is hot.
der Salat	salad	Ich nehme einen Salat, bitte.	I will have a salad, please.
der Saft	juice	Einen Orangensaft, bitte.	An orange juice, please.
hungrig	hungry	Ich bin sehr hungrig.	I am very hungry.
durstig	thirsty	Die Kinder sind durstig.	The children are thirsty.
lecker	tasty, delicious	Der Kuchen ist lecker.	The cake is tasty.
die Speisekarte	menu	Können wir die Speisekarte sehen?	Can we see the menu?
die Rechnung	bill	Die Rechnung, bitte.	The bill, please.
bestellen	to order	Wir möchten jetzt bestellen.	We would like to order now.
das Essen	food, meal	Das Essen hier ist sehr gut.	The food here is very good.

This list is our own; it is not taken from an official or published word list, and the levels are rough estimates (the CEFR does not provide an official word list; see what is CEFR).

Mini exercise

Write the German word for each meaning below, then check the answers.

1. bread
2. milk
3. tea
4. fish
5. cheese

Show the answers

1. das Brot
2. die Milch
3. der Tee
4. der Fisch
5. der Käse

Making the list stick

Reading a list once is not enough; you need to review words spread over time. Pick 5 words a day, try to recall their meanings that evening without looking, and test yourself again a few days later. We explain the idea in what is spaced repetition. For a general starting point in German, see the German guide.

In Frigya you can add German, choose any of the A1–C2 levels, meet new words in Discover and reinforce them with spaced repetition in Learn; you can start without an account. Download Frigya.