Cooking soup together | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Dieses Rezept sieht einfach genug für das Abendessen aus.

   This recipe looks simple enough for dinner.

   Dieses

   this

   Rezept

   recipe

   sieht … aus

   looks

   einfach

   simple

   genug

   enough

   Abendessen

   dinner

   More detail

   Dieses means “this” here and points to the singular neuter noun Rezept. Its form is nominative neuter; compare dieser with masculine nouns and diese with feminine nouns or plurals. The form is determined by the noun’s grammatical gender, number, and case, not by physical distance alone. Rezept means “recipe.” It is a singular neuter noun: das Rezept. In the sentence, it is the subject, so it is in the nominative case. The next sentence in the context uses das Gemüse as another example of a neuter noun, but that is a separate sentence and is not the referent of Dieses here. sieht ... aus is the separated present-tense form of aussehen, “to look” or “to seem.” With the singular subject Dieses Rezept, the form is sieht; aus appears at the end because aussehen is a separable verb in this clause. The pattern is etwas sieht + adjective + aus: Der Kuchen sieht lecker aus. — “The cake looks delicious.” This describes an appearance or impression, not simply the act of seeing something. einfach means “simple” here. It is a predicative adjective after aussehen, so it does not receive an ending: Das Rezept sieht einfach aus. Adjectives can have different endings when placed directly before a noun, but that is not the position of einfach in this sentence. genug means “enough” and follows the adjective it qualifies: einfach genug — “simple enough.” This expresses a sufficient degree. The pattern is adjective + genug, for example: Der Weg ist kurz genug. — “The route is short enough.” Abendessen means “dinner” or “the evening meal.” It is a singular neuter noun: das Abendessen. In für das Abendessen, the preposition für requires the accusative case; for a neuter singular noun, the definite article remains das in both nominative and accusative. The remaining words connect the selected parts: für means “for,” and das is the definite article “the.” The structure is für + accusative noun phrase, here für das Abendessen, meaning “for dinner.” Together, Dieses Rezept is the subject, sieht ... aus says how it appears, einfach genug gives the sufficient degree, and für das Abendessen specifies the intended meal. The whole utterance means: “This recipe looks simple enough for dinner.”

2. Ich kann das Gemüse schneiden, während du Wasser kochst.

   I can chop the vegetables while you boil water.

   Ich kann

   I can

   Gemüse

   vegetables

   schneiden

   chop; cut

   während

   while

   du

   you

   Wasser

   water

   kochst

   boil

   More detail

   Ich kann combines the subject pronoun ich (“I”) with the modal verb können (“can, be able to”). kann is the first-person singular present form; the infinitive of the main action comes later: Ich kann ... schneiden. Here the fixed translation gives the ability reading. Example: Ich kann das Brot schneiden. — “I can cut the bread.” Gemüse means vegetables as a food category or amount. German commonly treats it as a neuter mass noun, so the definite phrase here is das Gemüse; the article das is not included in the selected quote, but it agrees with this noun. The form can refer collectively to vegetables rather than asserting a particular plural form. schneiden is the infinitive “to cut” or “to chop.” After a modal such as kann, it remains an infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. In this cooking context, Gemüse schneiden means chopping or cutting vegetables. Example: Wir schneiden das Gemüse. — “We are cutting the vegetables.” während is a subordinating conjunction meaning “while.” It introduces a time clause. In the clause it introduces, the finite verb normally goes to the end: während du Wasser kochst. Example: Während du Wasser kochst, schneide ich das Brot. — “While you boil water, I cut the bread.” du is the nominative second-person singular pronoun, “you,” for addressing one person informally. It is the subject of the subordinate clause, not the person doing the chopping in the main clause. Wasser means water. In Wasser kochen, it is the direct object of kochen; German can omit an article when referring to water as a substance in this general cooking sense. The selected word itself does not express “the.” kochst is the second-person singular present form of kochen, “to boil” or “to cook.” The ending -st marks the du form: du kochst. Here kochen is transitive and takes Wasser as its object, so the intended meaning is “you boil water.” Compare er/sie kocht for third-person singular. Putting the parts together, Ich kann gives the speaker’s ability, das Gemüse schneiden gives the action, and während du Wasser kochst places that action at the same time as the listener’s action. The complete utterance therefore means: “I can chop the vegetables while you boil water.”

3. Wie lange soll die Suppe kochen?

   How long should the soup cook?

   Wie lange

   how long

   soll

   should

   Suppe

   soup

   kochen

   cook

   More detail

   Wie lange asks about duration: literally, “for how long?” It is a reusable question pattern for asking the length of an activity or state. For example, Wie lange bleibst du? means “How long are you staying?” soll is the present-tense third-person singular form of the modal verb sollen. In this sentence, it expresses what is expected or intended: “should.” The subject is die Suppe, so the singular form is used. With another subject, the form changes: Ich soll warten means “I should wait,” while Sie sollen warten means “They should wait” or, formally, “You should wait.” Suppe is the noun “soup.” Its base form is die Suppe; the article shows that it is feminine in German. In the sentence, die Suppe is the subject of soll, and the noun itself does not carry the visible case marking here. A useful related example is Die Suppe ist heiß. — “The soup is hot.” kochen is the infinitive “to cook” or “to boil.” After the modal verb soll, German uses the infinitive without zu: Die Suppe soll kochen means “The soup should cook.” In this utterance, kochen describes the soup cooking or boiling; the nearby context also uses kochen for boiling water and for letting something cook. Together, Wie lange asks for the duration, soll expresses the intended or expected action, die Suppe identifies what is cooking, and kochen names the action. The complete meaning is: “How long should the soup cook?”

4. Lass sie kochen, bis das Gemüse weich ist.

   Let it cook until the vegetables are soft.

   Lass

   let; allow

   sie

   it

   kochen

   cook; boil

   bis

   until

   Gemüse

   vegetables

   weich

   soft

   ist

   is

   More detail

   Lass is the informal singular imperative of lassen (“to let/allow”). Here it introduces an action someone is being told to permit: Lass ... kochen = “let ... cook.” The imperative is addressed to one person informally; a formal or plural command uses a different form. sie means “it” here and refers to the feminine singular item understood from the context, the soup (die Suppe). In this position it is the accusative form of the feminine singular pronoun. German pronouns must match their referent’s grammatical features, not the English pronoun’s form. kochen is the infinitive “to cook” or, for food, “to boil.” After lassen in this construction, the other verb remains an infinitive: Lass sie kochen = “Let it cook.” Example: Lass den Tee abkühlen. — “Let the tea cool down.” bis introduces the point up to which an action continues: “until.” It begins the subordinate clause bis das Gemüse weich ist, whose finite verb appears at the end. Gemüse means “vegetables” as a mass or collective noun. Its grammatical gender is neuter: das Gemüse. Although its meaning can refer to multiple vegetables, the noun is grammatically singular here, which is why the clause uses singular ist. weich means “soft.” It is used predicatively after ist, so it has no adjective ending here: Das Gemüse ist weich — “The vegetables are soft.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein – ist. It agrees with the singular noun das Gemüse; the clause states its condition rather than an action. Together, Lass sie kochen gives the command “Let it cook,” and bis das Gemüse weich ist sets the endpoint “until the vegetables are soft.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Let it cook until the vegetables are soft.”

5. Sollen wir sie probieren, bevor wir mehr Salz dazugeben?

   Should we taste it before we add more salt?

   Sollen wir

   Should we …?

   sie

   it

   probieren

   taste; try

   bevor

   before

   mehr

   more

   Salz

   salt

   dazugeben

   add

   More detail

   Sollen wir introduces a first-person plural question about whether the speakers should do something together. sollen is the modal verb sollen; with wir, its present-tense form is sollen. A useful reusable pattern is Sollen wir + infinitive...? — “Shall we...?” or “Should we...?” sie is the object pronoun meaning “it” in this sentence, as established by the fixed translation. Its exact food referent is not named here. Because the translation identifies one object, this use is feminine singular accusative; German sie can also have other grammatical roles and meanings, so its form must be interpreted from its role and context. probieren is the infinitive “to taste” here. The verb can also mean “to try” in other contexts, but the food-related context selects “taste.” After the modal sollen, the lexical verb remains in the infinitive. Example: Wir sollen die Suppe probieren. — “We should taste the soup.” bevor means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause describing the later action relative to the tasting. In German, the finite verb of this subordinate clause goes to the end: bevor wir mehr Salz dazugeben. mehr means “more,” indicating an increased amount of something. Here it modifies Salz; it does not itself state a particular numeric quantity. Example: Gib mehr Wasser dazu. — “Add more water.” Salz is the noun “salt.” German nouns are capitalized, and Salz is neuter: das Salz. In this sentence it is the material being added, not the object being tasted. dazugeben is the separable verb dazugeben, meaning “to add” with the sense “add to it/that.” In a main clause, a finite form separates, as in Wir geben mehr Salz dazu. — “We add more salt.” In the bevor clause, the finite form stays together at the end: ... bevor wir mehr Salz dazugeben. Here dazugeben is the present-tense finite form for wir, not an infinitive, although it has the same spelling as the infinitive. Together, Sollen wir sie probieren? asks whether the speakers should taste it. The subordinate clause bevor wir mehr Salz dazugeben sets the timing: that tasting should happen before they add more salt. The complete meaning is therefore: “Should we taste it before we add more salt?”

6. Probier sie zuerst.

   Taste it first.

   Probier

   taste / try

   sie

   it

   zuerst

   first

   More detail

   Probier is the informal singular imperative of probieren (“to taste” or “to try”). It addresses one person and requests the action directly. The imperative appears without an explicit subject: Probier! = “Taste!” A useful contrast is Probieren Sie!, the formal address form. sie is an accusative personal pronoun. Here, the fixed translation identifies its intended meaning as “it.” The form sie can represent feminine singular or plural in the accusative; the English translation supports a singular object here, but it does not by itself identify the German noun’s grammatical gender. German grammatical gender is a property of the omitted noun, not natural gender. zuerst means “first” and places the tasting before a later action or step. It can be used in other instructions as well: Lies zuerst die Frage. — “Read the question first.” Together, the imperative Probier addresses one person, sie supplies the thing to be tasted, and zuerst says that this should happen before the next step. The whole utterance therefore means “Taste it first.”

7. Dann können wir sie vorsichtig würzen.

   Then we can season it carefully.

   Dann

   then

   können wir

   we can

   sie

   it

   vorsichtig

   carefully

   würzen

   season

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here, linking this action to the preceding step. It commonly places a next action in a sequence. Example: Dann gehen wir nach Hause. — “Then we go home.” können wir expresses “we can.” können is the modal verb können in the present-tense wir form; it expresses ability or a possible course of action. With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Wir können warten. — “We can wait.” sie is the object pronoun meaning “it” in this sentence, referring to the item being tasted in the supplied context. Its form is also used for “them” in other contexts, but the fixed translation establishes the singular “it” reading here. vorsichtig describes how the action is performed: carefully. In this use it is an adverb, so it does not take an ending. The related adjective use can describe a noun: ein vorsichtiger Fahrer — “a careful driver.” würzen is the infinitive meaning “to season,” especially food by adding seasoning. After können, the infinitive remains unchanged and appears at the end. Example: Wir würzen die Suppe. — “We season the soup.” Together, Dann sets the time or sequence, können wir says that the speakers are able or permitted to do something, sie is the thing receiving the action, vorsichtig describes the manner, and würzen names the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “Then we can season it carefully.”

8. Die Suppe schmeckt jetzt besser.

   The soup tastes better now.

   Suppe

   soup

   schmeckt

   tastes

   jetzt

   now

   besser

   better

   More detail

   Suppe means “soup” here. It is the noun die Suppe, with capitalized spelling as a German noun; its plural is die Suppen. The definite article die marks this as a feminine singular noun in this sentence. schmeckt is the third-person singular present form of schmecken. With a food as subject, schmecken describes its taste: Die Suppe schmeckt gut. means “The soup tastes good.” The form schmeckt agrees with the singular subject Die Suppe; it is not the form used with a plural subject, for example Die Suppen schmecken gut (“The soups taste good”). jetzt means “now” and places the tasting at the present time. It can be reused in sentences such as Jetzt ist die Suppe fertig. — “Now the soup is ready.” besser is the comparative form of gut: gut — “good,” besser — “better,” am besten — “best.” Here it compares the soup’s taste with an earlier or otherwise relevant standard. Die Suppe schmeckt heute besser. means “The soup tastes better today.” Together, Die Suppe is the subject, schmeckt says how it tastes, jetzt specifies the time, and besser gives the comparison. The complete utterance means: “The soup tastes better now.”

9. Nächstes Mal können wir mehr Kräuter dazugeben.

   Next time we can add more herbs.

   Nächstes Mal

   next time

   können wir

   we can

   mehr

   more

   Kräuter

   herbs

   dazugeben

   add

   More detail

   Nächstes Mal means “next time.” nächstes is the inflected form of nächst- (“next”) with the neuter noun Mal (“time” in this expression). The phrase is a reusable time expression: Nächstes Mal machen wir ... = “Next time we’ll do ...”. Example: Nächstes Mal nehmen wir weniger Salz. — “Next time we’ll use less salt.” können wir combines können (“can, be able to”) with wir (“we”). können is the present-tense form used with wir; compare ich kann (“I can”) and sie können (“they can” or “they are able to,” depending on context). With a following infinitive, the modal verb expresses ability or possibility, and the infinitive normally comes at the end of the clause. Example: Wir können morgen kochen. — “We can cook tomorrow.” mehr means “more” and expresses a greater amount or quantity. It is uninflected here. Example: Wir brauchen mehr Wasser. — “We need more water.” Kräuter means “herbs” here, as culinary ingredients. It is the plural of Kraut in this sense. Example: Frische Kräuter schmecken gut. — “Fresh herbs taste good.” dazugeben means “to add” here. It is the bare infinitive of the separable verb dazugeben, formed with dazu (“to it” here) and geben (“give”). Because it follows the modal verb können, it appears as dazugeben without zu. In a finite clause, the separable parts split: Wir geben mehr Kräuter dazu. — “We add more herbs to it.” With an infinitive that itself requires zu, it is written dazuzugeben: Wir versuchen, mehr Kräuter dazuzugeben. — “We try to add more herbs to it.” In the supplied context, dazu points back to the soup. Together, Nächstes Mal sets the time, können wir expresses that we are able or may be able to do something, mehr Kräuter specifies a greater quantity of herbs, and dazugeben completes the modal-verb construction. The whole utterance means: “Next time we can add more herbs.”