Buying Vegetables at a German Market
After this lesson you can ask for quantities and weights and pay without switching to English.
Do this first: Plurals
Buying Vegetables at a German Market
A market is bought by weight and by piece: a kilo, a pound, a bunch, one of those. Say the amount first and the seller does the rest.
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Kulturnotiz
Bring your own bag. Germany charges for plastic bags and many market stalls do not offer them at all — the Stoffbeutel (cloth tote) and the wicker Korb are standard equipment, and you will see them on every arm at a Saturday Wochenmarkt. It is also worth knowing that most markets are cash-only, and that they pack up around 13:00.
Common questions
+How much is ein Pfund?
500 grams — half a kilo. It is a metric measure that kept the old name, so it is not the same as an imperial pound (454 g). Butchers and market stalls use it constantly.
+Why is there no word for "of"?
German puts the quantity and the item straight together: ein Kilo Tomaten, eine Tasse Kaffee, ein Glas Wasser. Adding von is a direct translation from English and sounds wrong.
+Can I pick the fruit myself?
At a market stall, no — the seller chooses and weighs. In a supermarket, yes. Getting this the wrong way round is the most visible tourist mistake at a Wochenmarkt.
+What is the difference between Karotte and Möhre?
None — both mean carrot. Möhre is more common in the north, Karotte in the south and Austria. Gelbe Rübe turns up in Bavaria.