German for the Deli Counter: Specifying Slicing Thickness
Learn to ask German deli staff for thin, medium or thick slices of meat and cheese, using Scheibe, dünn and Dicke in natural counter requests.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
At a German deli counter, you rarely buy pre-cut portions; you tell the staff how you want the item sliced, and they cut it in front of you. The key skill is naming the product, then stating the thickness. This lesson gives you reusable patterns for thin, medium and thick slices, plus the questions you need when the first cut is not what you wanted. You will practise the nouns Scheibe (slice) and Dicke (thickness), the adjective dünn (thin), and the verb schneiden (to cut), so that a short sentence gets you exactly the cut you need.
By the end, you can…
- ask for meat or cheese to be sliced thin, medium or thick.
- say how many slices I want and react if the cut is too thick or too thin.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Bitte schneiden Sie den Käse dünn.
Please slice the cheese thinly.
BIT-te SHNY-den zee den KAY-ze dün
Direct but polite request with the polite Sie form; replace Käse with any deli item.
Ich hätte gern zehn Scheiben Schinken, mitteldick.
I would like ten slices of ham, medium thick.
ikh HET-te gern tseyn SHY-ben SHIN-ken, MIT-tel-dik
States quantity first, then thickness; mitteldick is a common middle setting.
Können Sie das bitte etwas dünner schneiden?
Could you please slice that a little thinner?
KÖN-nen zee das BIT-te ET-vas DÜN-ner SHNY-den
Use when the first slice is thicker than you wanted; etwas dünner softens the request.
Wie dick soll ich es schneiden?
How thick should I slice it?
vee dik zol ikh es SHNY-den
A question you may hear from staff; answer with dünn, mitteldick or dick.
Dann bitte dicker, so wie auf dem Foto.
Then thicker, please, like in the photo.
dan BIT-te DIK-ker, zo vee ouf dem FOH-toh
Useful when comparing with a picture or a sample; dicker is the comparative of dick.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is Bitte schneiden Sie + item + thickness word: Bitte schneiden Sie den Käse dünn. The item is in the accusative, so der Käse becomes den Käse, die Wurst stays die Wurst, and das Fleisch stays das Fleisch. For quantity, use a number plus Scheiben: zwei Scheiben Salami, drei Scheiben Gouda. If you want a comparison, add the comparative: dünner (thinner), dicker (thicker). These forms let you adjust the request without starting a new sentence.
When to use it
Use the direct request at the counter when service is quick and informal. Bitte schneiden Sie ... is polite because of bitte and Sie, not because of a long sentence. If the staff ask Wie dick?, answer with one word: dünn, mitteldick or dick. If the result is wrong, say Das ist mir zu dick or Das ist mir zu dünn, then add Können Sie es dünner schneiden? In southern Germany and Austria you may hear the informal du in small shops, but at a standard counter the Sie form is the safe choice.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Guten Tag, ich hätte gern zwölf Scheiben Kochschinken.
Hello, I would like twelve slices of cooked ham.GOO-ten tahk, ikh HET-te gern tsvelf SHY-ben KOKH-shin-kenGern. Wie dick soll ich ihn schneiden?
Certainly. How thick should I slice it?gern. vee dik zol ikh een SHNY-denBitte dünn, aber nicht hauchdünn.
Thin, please, but not paper-thin.BIT-te dün, AH-ber nikht HOUKH-dünAlles klar, ich schneide ihn dünn. Sonst noch etwas?
All right, I will slice it thin. Anything else?AL-les klahr, ikh SHNY-de een dün. zonst nokh ET-vasA little context goes a long way
German deli service is usually cut to order, so thickness is part of the order, not an afterthought. Requests are short and direct; bitte and the Sie form carry the politeness. In Austria and parts of southern Germany, small shops may use du, and you can mirror that, but Sie is never wrong. Do not assume a shop has a numbered slicing machine setting; describe the thickness in words instead.
One thing to watch for
Using an English-style question such as Kann ich haben den Käse dünn?
Try this instead: German word order puts the verb second and the object after it: Kann ich den Käse dünn geschnitten haben? More natural at the counter is the direct request Bitte schneiden Sie den Käse dünn.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask for the cheese to be sliced thinly, using the polite Sie form?
Show a sample answer
Bitte schneiden Sie den Käse dünn.
This uses the imperative with Sie and the accusative den Käse. Bitte schneiden Sie den Käse etwas dünner is also correct if you want it a little thinner.
2The first slice is too thick. What can you say?
Show a sample answer
Das ist mir zu dick. Können Sie es dünner schneiden?
Das ist mir zu dick states the problem; the question asks for a new cut. Das ist zu dick, bitte dünner is also acceptable.
3How do you order eight slices of ham at medium thickness?
Show a sample answer
Ich hätte gern acht Scheiben Schinken, mitteldick.
Number plus Scheiben gives the quantity, and mitteldick gives the thickness. Acht Scheiben Schinken, bitte mitteldick works too.
Name the item, give the number of Scheiben, then say dünn, mitteldick or dick; if the cut is wrong, use dünner or dicker to adjust it.
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