German for Describing Holiday Food Traditions: Saying What You Eat on Thanksgiving
Learn to describe holiday food customs in German with phrases like 'An Thanksgiving essen wir Truthahn' and the verb-second rule for talking about traditions.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Describing a tradition is different from describing a dish. In this lesson you will learn how to say what you and your family eat on a particular holiday, using the German pattern 'An [holiday] essen wir...' (On [holiday] we eat...). This structure puts the holiday first for emphasis, then the verb, then the subject. You will also learn how to name typical foods, ask others about their customs, and add details about who cooks and when the meal happens.
By the end, you can…
- say what my family eats on a specific holiday using 'An ... essen wir ...'
- ask someone about their holiday food customs and understand a simple answer
- add details about who cooks and when the meal takes place
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
An Thanksgiving essen wir Truthahn.
On Thanksgiving we eat turkey.
ahn THÄNKS-giv-ing ES-sen veer TRUUT-hahn
The standard pattern: holiday first, then verb, then subject. Use for any holiday meal tradition.
Zu Weihnachten gibt es Gans.
At Christmas there is goose.
tsoo VY-nakh-ten gipt es gahns
'Zu' is the usual preposition for Christmas, Easter and other church holidays. 'Gibt es' means 'there is/are'.
Meine Familie isst an Ostern Lamm.
My family eats lamb at Easter.
MY-ne fah-MEE-lee-e ist ahn OH-stern lahm
Subject first, then verb, then holiday phrase. This is the neutral word order.
Wer kocht bei euch das Festessen?
Who cooks the holiday meal at your place?
vair kokht by oykh dahs FEST-es-sen
'Bei euch' means 'at your home/among you'. Use 'bei Ihnen' for formal address.
Das Essen ist um zwei Uhr.
The meal is at two o'clock.
dahs ES-sen ist um tsvai oor
Use 'um' plus a time for scheduled meals. Germans often eat the main holiday meal at midday.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
German main clauses put the conjugated verb in second position. If you start with a time or holiday phrase, the verb still comes second and the subject moves after it: 'An Thanksgiving essen wir Truthahn.' If the subject starts the sentence, the order is subject-verb: 'Wir essen an Thanksgiving Truthahn.' Both are correct; the first emphasizes the holiday. For 'there is/are' use 'es gibt': 'Zu Weihnachten gibt es Gans.'
When to use it
Use 'An' with Thanksgiving, Neujahr and most secular holidays: 'An Silvester trinken wir Sekt.' Use 'Zu' with Christmas, Easter and Pentecost: 'Zu Ostern essen wir Lamm.' For a general custom, 'Bei uns isst man...' (At our place one eats...) works well. To ask about someone else's custom, say 'Was esst ihr an Thanksgiving?' or more formally 'Was isst man bei Ihnen zu Weihnachten?' Note that 'Weihnachten' and 'Ostern' are plural nouns in German, so 'Zu Weihnachten' and 'Zu Ostern' are the standard forms.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Was esst ihr an Thanksgiving?
What do you eat on Thanksgiving?vahs est eer ahn THÄNKS-giv-ingAn Thanksgiving essen wir Truthahn mit Kartoffelpüree.
On Thanksgiving we eat turkey with mashed potatoes.ahn THÄNKS-giv-ing ES-sen veer TRUUT-hahn mit kar-TOF-fel-pue-RAYWer kocht bei euch das Festessen?
Who cooks the holiday meal at your place?vair kokht by oykh dahs FEST-es-senMeine Mutter kocht, und wir essen um zwei Uhr.
My mother cooks, and we eat at two o'clock.MY-ne MU-ter kokht, oont veer ES-sen um tsvai oorA little context goes a long way
German holiday meals vary by region and family. 'Weihnachtsgans' is common in many areas, but fish is traditional on Christmas Eve in some families, and regional dishes differ. In Switzerland, 'Weihnachtsgans' is less common than in Germany. Use 'bei uns' (at our place) to signal that you are describing your own family custom, not a national rule. Note that Thanksgiving is not a traditional German holiday; it is mainly observed in the US and Canada, so German speakers may not have a fixed vocabulary for it and often use the English loanword 'Thanksgiving'.
One thing to watch for
An Thanksgiving wir essen Truthahn.
Try this instead: The verb must be second: 'An Thanksgiving essen wir Truthahn.' In a main clause, only one element can come before the verb. Saying 'wir essen' after the holiday phrase puts the verb in third position, which sounds wrong in German.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'At Christmas there is goose.'
Show a sample answer
Zu Weihnachten gibt es Gans.
'Zu' is the standard preposition for Christmas, and 'gibt es' means 'there is'. 'An Weihnachten gibt es Gans' is sometimes heard but less idiomatic.
2Make a sentence: Thanksgiving / we / eat / turkey.
Show a sample answer
An Thanksgiving essen wir Truthahn.
Holiday phrase first, then verb, then subject. 'Wir essen an Thanksgiving Truthahn' is also correct with neutral emphasis.
3Ask a friend informally what they eat at Easter.
Show a sample answer
Was esst ihr an Ostern?
'Ihr' is informal plural. For one person informally: 'Was isst du an Ostern?' For formal: 'Was essen Sie an Ostern?'
To describe a holiday food tradition, start with the holiday phrase, keep the verb in second position, and name the food: 'An Thanksgiving essen wir Truthahn.' Use 'zu' for Christmas and Easter, 'an' for Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s German into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr