German Vegetables Vocabulary
This set covers basic vegetables, salad, and legumes: das Gemüse itself, die Kartoffel, die Tomate, die Zwiebel, and words like die Erbse and die Hülsenfrucht for legumes. One trap for English speakers: das Gemüse is a singular mass noun like "furniture," so "vegetables are healthy" becomes "Gemüse ist gesund," not plural. You'll also hit regional doubles here, since Germany, Austria, and Switzerland don't agree on what to call a carrot or a potato.
Learn these 19 words
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All 19 words
vegetables
Gemüse brauchen wir auch noch. — We still need vegetables.
plural: die Kartoffeln
potato
Für Pommes frites braucht man Kartoffeln. — You need potatoes for french fries.
plural: die Salate
salad
Wie schmeckt dir der Salat? — How does the salad taste to you?
plural: die Tomaten
tomato
Die Tomate ist noch grün. — The tomato is still green.
plural: die Bohnen
bean
Ich esse gern Bohnen. — I like to eat beans.
plural: die Erdäpfel
potato
Kann ich bitte noch Erdäpfel bekommen? — Can I please get more potatoes?
plural: die Karotten
carrot
Hasen fressen gern Karotten. — Rabbits like to eat carrots.
plural: die Möhren
carrot
Hasen fressen gern Möhren. — Rabbits like to eat carrots.
plural: die Paradeiser
tomato
Kauf bitte noch Paradeiser auf dem Markt. — Please buy more tomatoes at the market.
plural: die Pilze
mushroom
Haben Sie frische Pilze? — Do you have fresh mushrooms?
plural: die Rüebli
carrot
Hasen fressen gern Rüebli. — Hares like to eat carrots.
plural: die Schwammerln
mushroom
Haben Sie frische Schwammerln? — Do you have fresh mushrooms?
plural: die Zwiebeln
onion
Eine Zwiebel in kleine Stücke schneiden und zusammen mit dem Fleisch braten. — Cut an onion into small pieces and fry it with the meat.
pea
Die Erbsen sind grün und schmecken lecker. — The peas are green and taste delicious.
plural: die Kartoffeln
potato
Die Kartoffel ist ein wichtiges Grundnahrungsmittel in Deutschland. — The potato is an important staple food in Germany.
plural: die Kürbisse
pumpkin / squash
Wir schneiden den Kürbis für die Suppe. — We cut the pumpkin for the soup.
corn
Der Mais ist ein wichtiges Getreide weltweit. — Corn is an important cereal worldwide.
plural: die Rüben
turnip
Ich kaufte Rüben für die Suppe. — I bought turnips for the soup.
plural: die Tomaten
tomato
Die Tomate ist rot und süß. — The tomato is red and sweet.
How to learn this set
The regional variation is the real story in this list: die Karotte, die Möhre, and das Rüebli all mean carrot, while die Kartoffel and der Erdapfel both mean potato, and der Pilz vs. das Schwammerl split the same way for mushroom. Learn one term as your default (Karotte, Kartoffel, Pilz are safest for standard German) and treat the others as recognition vocabulary for menus and regional speech. Also note der Paradeiser is just Austrian for die Tomate, so don't memorize it as a separate vegetable. When drilling gender, group die Bohne, die Erbse, die Tomate, and die Kartoffel together since -e endings on these are consistently feminine.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Gemüse singular or plural in German?
Gemüse is a singular mass noun, like English "produce" or "furniture." You say "das Gemüse ist frisch" (the vegetables are fresh), not a plural verb form.
What's the difference between Karotte, Möhre, and Rüebli?
They all mean carrot. Karotte is used across Germany, Möhre is common in northern Germany, and Rüebli is the Swiss German term.
Is Paradeiser a different vegetable from Tomate?
No, Paradeiser is simply the Austrian German word for tomato. In Germany and Switzerland you'll almost always see die Tomate instead.
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