Food & Drink (Leaving Cert German): Revision Notes
Likes & Dislikes
When discussing food preferences in German, you'll need to master a few key structures and build up your vocabulary. This topic is essential for everyday conversations and will help you express your tastes and dietary needs confidently.
Basic verbs for eating and drinking
The foundation of talking about food preferences lies in two essential verbs:
essen (to eat) and trinken (to drink)
These verbs follow regular patterns, and you'll use them constantly when discussing meals and preferences.
Both essen and trinken are regular German verbs that follow predictable conjugation patterns, making them reliable building blocks for food-related conversations.
Here are some basic examples:
- Ich esse Pizza (I eat pizza)
- Ich trinke Wasser (I drink water)
Essential food vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Salat | salad |
| der Kuchen | cake |
| der Toast | toast |
| der Apfel | apple |
| die Pommes | chips |
| die Pizza | pizza |
| die Schokolade | chocolate |
| die Nudeln | pasta |
| die Marmelade | jam |
| das Brot | bread |
| das Obst | fruit |
| das Gemüse | vegetables |
| das Hähnchen | chicken |
| das Curry | curry |
| das Fleisch | meat |
Example sentences using these foods:
- Zum Frühstück esse ich Toast mit Marmelade (For breakfast I eat toast with jam)
- Das Hähnchen mit Gemüse schmeckt gut (The chicken with vegetables tastes good)
- Ich kaufe Obst und Brot im Supermarkt (I buy fruit and bread in the supermarket)
Essential drinks vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Cola | cola |
| das Wasser | water |
| der Orangensaft | orange juice |
| die Limonade | lemonade |
| der Kaffee | coffee |
| die Milch | milk |
| der Tee | tea |
Example sentences with drinks:
- Morgens trinke ich immer Kaffee (In the morning I always drink coffee)
- Bei heißem Wetter trinke ich viel Wasser (In hot weather I drink lots of water)
- Zum Mittagessen trinke ich Orangensaft (With lunch I drink orange juice)
Expressing likes and dislikes
To say you like something, add gern after the verb. For dislikes, use nicht gern.
Structure: Subject + verb + (nicht) gern + object
This word order is crucial for correctly expressing preferences in German.
Worked Example: Expressing Food Preferences
✓ Ich esse gern Salat (I like eating salad)
✓ Ich trinke nicht gern Wasser (I don't like drinking water)
✓ Wir essen gern Pizza am Wochenende (We like eating pizza at weekends)
Notice how gern always comes immediately after the main verb.
Adding reasons with adjectives
Make your opinions more interesting by explaining why you like or dislike something. Use denn (because) followed by es ist (it is) and an adjective.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| lecker | tasty |
| köstlich | delicious |
| süß | sweet |
| scharf | spicy |
| salzig | salty |
| gesund | healthy |
| erfrischend | refreshing |
| ekelhaft | disgusting |
Worked Example: Adding Reasons
Step 1: State your preference Ich esse gern Kuchen (I like eating cake)
Step 2: Add denn + reason Ich esse gern Kuchen, denn er ist lecker (I like eating cake because it is tasty)
More examples:
- Ich esse gern Curry, denn es ist scharf (I like eating curry because it is spicy)
- Ich trinke gern Tee, denn er ist erfrischend (I like drinking tea because it is refreshing)
Asking about food preferences
Use these question patterns to find out what others like:
Essential Question Patterns:
- Was isst du gern? (What do you like to eat?)
- Was trinkst du gern? (What do you like to drink?)
- Was isst du nicht gern? (What don't you like to eat?)
- Was trinkst du nicht gern? (What don't you like to drink?)
Discussing plural foods
When talking about plural items, change es ist (it is) to sie sind (they are):
Singular: es ist → Plural: sie sind
This grammatical change is essential for correct German sentence structure.
Examples:
- Ich esse nicht gern Pommes, denn sie sind salzig (I don't like eating chips because they are salty)
- Ich esse gern Erdbeeren, denn sie sind köstlich (I like eating strawberries because they are delicious)
Dietary requirements
Some people have special dietary needs. Here are useful phrases:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Milchprodukte | dairy |
| die Nüsse | nuts |
| die Erdnüsse | peanuts |
| das Gluten | gluten |
| der Weizen | wheat |
| das Halal-Fleisch | halal meat |
Dietary Restriction Phrases:
These sentences will help you communicate special dietary needs clearly and politely in German-speaking countries.
Useful sentences:
- Ich esse kein Fleisch, denn ich bin Vegetarier (I don't eat meat because I am vegetarian)
- Ich trinke Sojamilch, denn ich bin Veganer (I drink soya milk because I am vegan)
- Ich esse keine Nüsse, denn ich habe eine Allergie (I don't eat nuts because I have an allergy)
- Ich bin allergisch gegen Gluten (I am allergic to gluten)
For female vegetarians or vegans, add -in: Vegetarierin, Veganerin.
Meal times
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Frühstück | breakfast |
| das Mittagessen | lunch |
| das Abendessen | evening meal/dinner |
Word Order with Meal Times:
In German sentences about meals, the verb comes directly after the meal phrase:
Correct pattern: Zum [meal] + verb + ich + object
Examples:
- Zum Frühstück esse ich Toast und Marmelade (For breakfast I eat toast and jam)
- Zum Mittagessen esse ich Pizza und ich trinke Wasser (For lunch I eat pizza and I drink water)
- Zum Abendessen esse ich gern Hähnchen und Gemüse, denn es ist lecker (For dinner I like eating chicken and vegetables because it is tasty)
Example dialogue
Dialogue Practice: Food Preferences
Anna: Was isst du gern zum Frühstück? Ben: Ich esse gern Toast mit Marmelade. Was trinkst du gern? Anna: Ich trinke gern Kaffee, denn er ist erfrischend. Ben: Ich trinke nicht gern Kaffee. Ich trinke lieber Tee.
Translation: Anna: What do you like to eat for breakfast? Ben: I like eating toast with jam. What do you like to drink? Anna: I like drinking coffee because it is refreshing. Ben: I don't like drinking coffee. I prefer drinking tea.
Common mistakes and tips
Avoid These Common Mistakes:
Mistake: Forgetting to use the correct article with foods Tip: Learn each noun with its article (der/die/das) from the start
Mistake: Using "es ist" with plural foods Tip: Remember: singular = es ist, plural = sie sind
Mistake: Word order with meal times Tip: The eating/drinking verb comes immediately after the meal phrase: "Zum Frühstück esse ich..."
Pronunciation tip: "gern" is pronounced like "gairn" with a rolling 'r' sound
Key Points to Remember:
- Use essen and trinken as your base verbs for food discussions
- Add gern after the verb to express likes, nicht gern for dislikes
- Use denn + adjective to explain your reasons for food preferences
- Switch to sie sind when discussing plural foods instead of es ist
- Learn food vocabulary with the correct articles (der/die/das) to avoid mistakes