German for Beginners: Asking for Amounts with 'ein Kilo', 'ein Liter' and 'ein halbes Dutzend'
Learn to request quantities in German using measure words like ein Kilo, ein Liter, eine Flasche and ein halbes Dutzend, with correct articles and cases.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you shop or order food in German, you often need more than the name of an item: you need to say how much of it you want. German uses measure words such as Kilo, Liter, Flasche and Dutzend, and the item being measured usually follows in the same phrase. This lesson teaches the core patterns for requesting amounts, including the articles and the small case changes that German requires. You will practise whole and fractional amounts, and you will see how these phrases work in a bakery, at a market stall and in a supermarket.
By the end, you can…
- ask for a kilo, a litre or a bottle of something in German.
- use ein halbes Dutzend and other fractional amounts correctly.
- choose the right article for common measure words.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
ein Kilo Tomaten, bitte
a kilo of tomatoes, please
ine KEE-lo toh-MAH-ten, BIT-tuh
Standard polite request at a market stall or in a supermarket. Tomaten is plural, so no extra article is needed after Kilo.
ein Liter Milch
a litre of milk
ine LEE-ter milkh
Milch is feminine, but after a measure word it normally appears without an article. Use this in shops and cafés.
eine Flasche Wasser
a bottle of water
INE-uh FLASH-uh VAS-ser
Flasche is feminine, so it takes eine. This is common when ordering drinks or buying drinks to take away.
ein halbes Dutzend Eier
half a dozen eggs
ine HAL-bess DOO-tsent EYE-er
halbes is the neuter form used with Dutzend. This is useful in bakeries and small shops.
zweihundert Gramm Käse
two hundred grams of cheese
TSVY-hoon-dert gram KAY-zuh
Gramm stays the same in the singular and plural. Use this for smaller amounts at a deli counter.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is amount + item: ein Kilo Tomaten, ein Liter Milch, eine Flasche Wasser. The measure word carries the article and the item usually follows without an article. For example, ein Glas Saft means 'a glass of juice', and eine Tüte Äpfel means 'a bag of apples'. If you want to be more polite, add bitte at the end: ein Kilo Kartoffeln, bitte.
When to use it
Use these phrases when you are buying food or drinks, ordering in a café, or asking someone to bring something. At a bakery you might say ein halbes Dutzend Brötchen, bitte. At a market you can say zweihundert Gramm Käse. In a supermarket, ein Liter Milch and eine Flasche Wasser are very common. If you need a smaller amount, use ein bisschen for 'a little' or eine Scheibe for 'a slice'.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Guten Tag, ich möchte ein Kilo Tomaten, bitte.
Good day, I would like a kilo of tomatoes, please.GOO-ten tahk, ikh MURKH-tuh ine KEE-lo toh-MAH-ten, BIT-tuhGerne. Möchten Sie auch eine Flasche Wasser?
Certainly. Would you also like a bottle of water?GAIR-nuh. MURKH-ten zee owkh INE-uh FLASH-uh VAS-ser?Ja, und ein halbes Dutzend Eier, bitte.
Yes, and half a dozen eggs, please.yah, oont ine HAL-bess DOO-tsent EYE-er, BIT-tuhAlles klar. Das macht zusammen zwölf Euro fünfzig.
All right. That comes to twelve euros fifty altogether.AL-less klahr. dass makht tsoo-ZAM-men tsvurl OY-roh FOONF-tsikhA little context goes a long way
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, prices and measure words are usually spoken clearly at markets and bakeries. In Austria you may hear Deka for 10 grams, and in Switzerland you may see Gramm and Kilo as usual. Using bitte at the end of a request is standard and polite in all three countries.
One thing to watch for
Saying ein Kilo von Tomaten or ein Liter von Milch, copying English 'of'.
Try this instead: German normally omits von after a measure word. Say ein Kilo Tomaten and ein Liter Milch. Use von only in special constructions such as eine Tasse von dem Kaffee, which means 'a cup of that coffee'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask for a litre of milk in German?
Show a sample answer
ein Liter Milch
Liter is neuter and takes ein. The item Milch follows without an article. You could also add bitte for politeness.
2Which article goes with Flasche, and why?
Show a sample answer
eine, because Flasche is feminine.
Flasche is a feminine noun, so the indefinite article is eine. The phrase is eine Flasche Wasser.
3How would you ask for half a dozen eggs at a bakery?
Show a sample answer
ein halbes Dutzend Eier, bitte
Dutzend is neuter, so the adjective halbes takes the neuter ending -es. Eier follows without an article. Adding bitte is standard and polite.
Learn the measure word together with its article, then add the item without von: ein Kilo Tomaten, eine Flasche Wasser, ein halbes Dutzend Eier.
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