German for Beginners: Say What You Eat and Drink for Breakfast
Learn to name typical German breakfast foods and drinks and say 'For breakfast, I eat/drink ___' with the correct verb forms and articles.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn to talk about one specific meal: breakfast, das Frühstück. You will practise the pattern 'Zum Frühstück esse ich ___' (For breakfast, I eat ___) and 'Zum Frühstück trinke ich ___' (For breakfast, I drink ___). You will also learn the names of common German breakfast foods and drinks, and the accusative articles that go with them, so you can build your own true sentences about your morning.
By the end, you can…
- name at least six typical German breakfast foods and drinks.
- say what I eat and drink for breakfast using 'Zum Frühstück esse/trinke ich ...'.
- use the correct accusative article (einen, eine, ein) with breakfast items.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Zum Frühstück esse ich ein Brötchen.
For breakfast, I eat a bread roll.
tsum FRUE-shtuek ES-uh ikh ine BRURT-khen
The standard pattern for saying what you eat. 'Brötchen' is a small crusty roll, very common in Germany.
Zum Frühstück trinke ich Kaffee.
For breakfast, I drink coffee.
tsum FRUE-shtuek TRIN-kuh ikh KAF-ay
Use 'trinke' for drinks. 'Kaffee' needs no article here because you mean coffee in general.
Ich esse Müsli mit Milch.
I eat muesli with milk.
ikh ES-uh MUES-lee mit MILKH
'Müsli' is oats mixed with nuts, seeds and dried fruit. 'Mit' means 'with' and takes the dative: 'mit Milch'.
Ich trinke einen Tee.
I drink a tea.
ikh TRIN-kuh INE-en TAY
'Tee' is masculine, so 'ein' becomes 'einen' in the accusative after 'trinke'.
Ich esse ein Brot mit Käse.
I eat a slice of bread with cheese.
ikh ES-uh ine BROHT mit KAY-zuh
'Brot' is neuter and stays 'ein' in the accusative. 'Käse' is masculine but has no article here.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 'Zum Frühstück esse ich ...' or 'Zum Frühstück trinke ich ...'. 'Zum' is a contraction of 'zu dem' and means 'for' in this meal context. The verb comes second, then 'ich'. After 'esse' and 'trinke', the object takes the accusative case: 'ein Brötchen' (neuter, unchanged), 'eine Banane' (feminine, unchanged), but 'einen Tee' or 'einen Saft' (masculine, adds -en). So you say 'Ich esse eine Banane' but 'Ich trinke einen Saft'.
When to use it
Use this pattern whenever you talk about your own breakfast. To ask someone else, say 'Was isst du zum Frühstück?' (What do you eat for breakfast?) or 'Was trinkst du zum Frühstück?'. In a hotel or café you can simply order with 'Ich nehme ...' (I'll have ...), for example 'Ich nehme ein Brötchen mit Marmelade.' Note that 'zum Frühstück' can come first or later: 'Ich esse zum Frühstück Müsli' is equally correct.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Was isst du zum Frühstück?
What do you eat for breakfast?vas IST doo tsum FRUE-shtuekZum Frühstück esse ich ein Brötchen mit Marmelade.
For breakfast, I eat a bread roll with jam.tsum FRUE-shtuek ES-uh ikh ine BRURT-khen mit mar-muh-LA-duhUnd was trinkst du?
And what do you drink?unt vas TRINKST dooIch trinke einen Kaffee mit Milch.
I drink a coffee with milk.ikh TRIN-kuh INE-en KAF-ay mit MILKHA little context goes a long way
German breakfast is often cold: bread or rolls with butter, cheese, cold cuts, jam or honey, plus coffee or tea. In southern Germany and Austria you may hear 'Semmel' instead of 'Brötchen', and in Switzerland 'Brötli'. 'Frühstück' is the standard word everywhere; 'Morgenessen' is used in Switzerland. Many Germans also eat a second breakfast, 'das zweite Frühstück', at work.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Ich esse zum Frühstück ein Tee' or using 'ein' with a masculine drink.
Try this instead: Drinks use 'trinken', not 'essen', and masculine nouns take 'einen' in the accusative: 'Ich trinke einen Tee.' For a feminine noun like 'Limonade', say 'Ich trinke eine Limonade.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'For breakfast, I eat a bread roll'?
Show a sample answer
Zum Frühstück esse ich ein Brötchen.
This uses the standard pattern with the neuter noun 'Brötchen', which keeps 'ein' in the accusative. 'Ich esse zum Frühstück ein Brötchen' is also correct.
2Which article fills the gap: 'Ich trinke ___ Saft' (Saft is masculine)?
Show a sample answer
einen
'Saft' is masculine, and after 'trinke' the accusative is required, so 'ein' becomes 'einen'. 'Ich trinke einen Saft' is correct.
3Translate: 'I drink a coffee with milk.'
Show a sample answer
Ich trinke einen Kaffee mit Milch.
'Kaffee' is masculine, so the accusative article is 'einen'. 'Mit Milch' uses the dative, but 'Milch' has no article here, so it stays the same.
Use 'Zum Frühstück esse ich ...' for food and 'Zum Frühstück trinke ich ...' for drinks, and remember that masculine nouns take 'einen' in the accusative.
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