German Herbs, Spices & Condiments Vocabulary
This set covers what's on the table and in the spice rack: das Salz, der Pfeffer, der Senf, and a run of herbs and spices like der Oregano, die Petersilie, and der Zimt. One thing to watch: der Ketchup and die Mayonnaise are both nouns in German too, but German also has a native word for sauce, die Soße, that covers everything from der Sojasoße to a plain die Sahnesoße, so English speakers often reach for a loanword when a German compound would sound more natural.
Learn these 23 words
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All 23 words
ketchup
Die Kinder mögen Pommes mit Ketchup. — The children like fries with ketchup.
salt
Herr Ober, kann ich bitte Salz haben? — Waiter, may I have salt, please?
garlic
Das Rezept braucht viel frischen Knoblauch. — The recipe needs a lot of fresh garlic.
mayonnaise
Er macht den Salat mit Mayonnaise. — He makes the salad with mayonnaise.
plural: die Öle
oil
Machen wir den Salat mit Öl? — Shall we make the salad with oil?
olive oil
Sie kocht das Gemüse mit Olivenöl. — She cooks the vegetables with olive oil.
mustard
Ich esse die Wurst mit Senf. — I eat the sausage with mustard.
basil
Basilikum passt perfekt zu Tomaten. — Basil goes perfectly with tomatoes.
curry powder
Das Gericht schmeckt stark nach Curry. — The dish tastes strongly of curry.
vinegar
Am Salat fehlt noch etwas Essig. — The salad is missing some vinegar.
plural: die Gewürze
spice
Von den scharfen Gewürzen bekommt man Durst. — The sharp spices make you thirsty.
honey
Ich esse gern Brötchen mit Honig und Butter zum Frühstück. — I like to eat rolls with honey and butter for breakfast.
ginger
Frischer Ingwer gibt dem Tee Geschmack. — Fresh ginger gives the tea flavor.
oregano
Die Pizza schmeckt nach frischem Oregano. — The pizza tastes of fresh oregano.
paprika (spice)
Er würzt das Gulasch mit Paprika. — He seasons the goulash with paprika.
parsley
Sie streut Petersilie über die Suppe. — She sprinkles parsley over the soup.
pepper
Bringen Sie uns bitte Pfeffer und Salz. — Please bring us pepper and salt.
plural: die Sojasoßen
soy sauce
Zum Reis passt etwas Sojasoße. — Soy sauce goes well with rice.
plural: die Soßen
sauce, gravy
Gibst du mir bitte mal die Soße? — Can you please pass me the sauce?
cinnamon
Zimt passt gut zu Äpfeln. — Cinnamon goes well with apples.
sugar
Nehmen Sie Zucker in den Tee? — Do you take sugar in your tea?
cumin
Kreuzkümmel gibt diesem Gericht ein intensives Aroma. — Cumin gives this dish an intense aroma.
plural: die Sahnesoßen
a cream sauce
Die Sahnesoße macht das Gericht besonders lecker. — The cream sauce makes the dish particularly delicious.
How to learn this set
Notice how many of these are neuter: das Salz, das Öl, das Curry, das Gewürz, das Basilikum. That's not an accident of the alphabet, it's the default gender for a lot of single, uncountable substances in German, so when in doubt with a spice or seasoning, das is a reasonable first guess. The compounds are worth drilling as pairs rather than separate words: learn der Essig next to das Olivenöl since they're almost always mentioned together, and build die Sojasoße and die Sahnesoße directly off die Soße so the shared root and shared gender stick at the same time.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Salz der die or das?
Das Salz. It's neuter, like most of the basic seasonings in German: das Öl, das Curry, das Gewürz.
What is der Paprika in German?
It has two meanings: der Paprika is the spice (paprika powder), but der Paprika also means bell pepper the vegetable. Context tells you which one is meant, and both are masculine.
Why is Soße feminine but Ketchup masculine?
There's no rule tying gender to meaning here, you just learn each one: die Soße, die Sojasoße, die Mayonnaise are feminine, while der Ketchup, der Senf, der Essig are masculine. Compounds like die Sahnesoße keep the gender of the base word Soße.
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