5.4 Food and drink — Epoché
What you will be able to do Order and shop for food — Ich möchte Speck. , Saft, bitte. — including the things a German counter sells that an English-speaking one does not: Auch die besten Schriftsteller können Quark abliefern. , Die Gewürzgurken neben den Aufschnitt legen. Use the collective singulars for fruit, vegetables, cutlery and the dishes, where English agrees for fruit and cutlery but uses a plural for vegetables: Esst mehr Gemüse. , Möhren sind Gemüse. Say that you have eaten enough with the adjective English does not have: Ich bin satt. Read a food compound and know what is in it — Ich mache Rührei. , Ich mag Sauerkraut. , Das ist Hackfleisch. — which is how a German menu works. Prerequisites : 5.3 — you need the kitchen from the last lesson, since half of this list is what comes out of it, and you need the compound rule, because a German menu is mostly compounds. Food is where an English speaker gets the most for nothing and then hits the hardest wall. The staples are free: bread, milk, butter, water, apple, fish, beer, wine and salt are all recognisable at a glance, and so are a dozen more. But a German bakery, a German dairy counter and a German vegetable market all sell things that have no English name, because the thing itself is not sold in an English-speaking shop. A word list cannot fix that, but it can tell you which words are describing something unfamiliar rather than something you know under another name. This is the longest list in the volume: fifty-five words. It is long because eating is the field where a beginner needs the most nouns soonest, and because five of the entries are foods you will have to meet rather than translate. The ones you already have Read this table once and leave it. None of these is in the list below. German English — what changed das Brot bread — the same word, with the German vowel die Milch milk — the same word, with the German final consonant die Butter butter — identical; only the gender has to be learned das Wasser water — the same word, with the German consonant der Apfel apple — the same word; the plural fronts the vowel der Fisch fish — the same word, with the German consonant das Bier beer — identical der Wein wine — the same word, with the German diphthong das Salz salt — the same word; the final letter is the sound from lesson 0.1 das Glas glass — identical, and it means the vessel as well as the material One of those rows deserves a note, because it will save you an awkward moment. The word for bread is free, but the word for a bread roll is not, and in Germany the roll is the more common breakfast object of the two. It is in the list below, and it is the first word in it, because a baker will ask you how many you want before you have had any coffee. Word list Fifty-five words in four groups: the bakery and the cold table, the meat, the plants, and what you drink and eat with. Every noun carries its article. The bakery and the cold table Word Meaning Notes das Brötchen de bread roll — the little-bread; the standard German breakfast, and neuter Sie essen Brötchen. They're eating rolls. die Brezel de pretzel — the German word behind yours, with b where English has p Ich mag Brezel. I like pretzels. der Kuchen de cake, tart — the plain kind, on a tray; the same root as English cake Back einen Kuchen. Make a cake. die Torte de gateau — the tall layered kind; German splits what English calls cake Möchte jemand noch etwas Torte? [1] Does anyone want some more cake? die Marmelade de jam of any fruit — English marmalade is oranges only, so this is a false friend Magst du Marmelade? [2] Do you like jam? der Honig de honey — the same word, with a final g Honig ist süß. Honey is sweet. das Müsli de muesli — a Swiss diminutive; the German word arrived in English intact Ich möchte Müsli. [3] I want cereal. das Ei de egg — the same root as egg , and the plural adds a whole syllable Ich mache Rührei. I'm making scrambled eggs. das Rührei de scrambled egg — the stir-egg, and singular where English is plural Ich mache Rührei. I'm making scrambled eggs. der Aufschnitt de cold cuts, sliced meats — the on-cut; English has no everyday single word Die Gewürzgurken neben den Aufschnitt legen. Put the gherkins next to the cold cuts. die Wurst de sausage — no cognate; the idiom for not caring is built on it Die Wurst ist lecker. The sausage tastes good. der Käse de cheese — the same Latin root; also means nonsense, as English rubbish does Das ist Käse. This is cheese. der Quark de curd cheese — sold everywhere in Germany and almost nowhere in Britain; also nonsense Auch die besten Schriftsteller können Quark abliefern. Even the best authors can be mediocre. die Sahne de cream — no cognate; it is the word in the idiom for something excellent Uns ist die Sahne ausgegangen. We have run out of cream. The meat counter Word Meaning Notes das Fleisch de meat and flesh — the same word as flesh ; English needs two words Fleisch, bitte. [4] Meat, please. das Hackfleisch de mince, ground meat — the chopped-meat, which is what English says too Das ist Hackfleisch. This is mince. das Schnitzel de a thin fried cutlet — the little-cut; English borrowed the dish and the word Ich habe Schnitzel für das Abendessen gekauft. [5] I bought schnitzel for dinner. der Schinken de ham — no cognate; it also means an overlong book or a bad painting Ich esse Schinken. [6] I'm eating ham. der Speck de bacon, pork fat — the same word as dialect English speck ; also body fat Ich möchte Speck. I want bacon. das Hähnchen de chicken as food — the little-cockerel; German names the bird, not the meat Ich esse Hähnchen. I'm eating chicken. das Rindfleisch de beef — the cattle-meat; English uses a French word and hides the animal Rindfleisch bitte. [7] Beef, please. das Schweinefleisch de pork — the pig-meat; English hides this animal too Ist da Schweinefleisch drin? [8] Does this have pork in it? Plants Word Meaning Notes das Gemüse de vegetables — collective singular ; German says the ve