Checking ingredients before cooking | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Bevor wir anfangen zu kochen, welche Zutaten haben wir?

   Before we start cooking, what ingredients do we have?

   Bevor

   before

   anfangen

   start; begin

   kochen

   cook

   welche

   which; what

   Zutaten

   ingredients

   haben wir

   we have

   More detail

   Bevor introduces a subordinate time clause meaning “before.” In German, the finite verb belongs at the end of a subordinate clause; when the clause also contains an infinitive, the verb group is at the end, with the finite verb before the infinitive: Bevor wir anfangen zu kochen = “Before we start cooking.” anfangen means “to start” or “to begin.” Its infinitive is anfangen; with wir in the present tense, the finite form is also spelled anfangen: wir fangen an is the common main-clause form, while wir anfangen occurs here in the subordinate clause. The verb is separable in main-clause forms: Wir fangen an. With a following infinitive, German uses anfangen zu + infinitive. kochen is the infinitive “to cook.” The pattern anfangen zu kochen is reusable: Sie fängt an zu lesen. = “She starts reading.” In the fixed sentence, zu belongs with kochen as zu kochen. welche is the interrogative determiner “which” and, with the plural noun Zutaten, gives the natural question “what ingredients.” Its form agrees with the plural noun here. The phrase welche Zutaten is accusative in this sentence because the ingredients are the object of haben; the plural forms of welche are the same in nominative and accusative. Zutaten means “ingredients.” It is the plural of die Zutat (“ingredient”). In the fixed sentence, Zutaten refers to what is being possessed or available in haben wir: “what ingredients do we have?” haben wir contains present-tense haben (“have”) with the subject wir (“we”). haben is the first-person plural form of haben: wir haben. Because the question begins with welche Zutaten, the verb comes before the subject: Welche Zutaten haben wir? This is the usual verb–subject order after a question element placed first. Together, Bevor wir anfangen zu kochen sets the time reference: the question is asked before the cooking starts. Welche Zutaten haben wir? asks which ingredients are available to the speaker and the other people included by wir. The complete utterance therefore means: “Before we start cooking, what ingredients do we have?”

2. Das Rezept braucht Zwiebeln und Tomaten.

   The recipe needs onions and tomatoes.

   Rezept

   recipe

   braucht

   needs

   Zwiebeln

   onions

   Tomaten

   tomatoes

   More detail

   Rezept means “recipe” here. Its base form is das Rezept; the plural is die Rezepte. In this sentence, Rezept is the singular subject, so the verb agrees with it. Example: Das Rezept ist einfach. — “The recipe is simple.” braucht is the third-person singular present form of brauchen, “to need.” The ending -t fits a singular subject such as das Rezept; with a plural subject, use brauchen: Die Rezepte brauchen Zeit. — “The recipes need time.” Zwiebeln means “onions” and is the plural of die Zwiebel (“onion”). The plural form is used because the sentence refers to onions generally, not one onion. Example: Ich kaufe Zwiebeln. — “I am buying onions.” Tomaten means “tomatoes” and is the plural of die Tomate (“tomato”). Example: Wir schneiden Tomaten. — “We are cutting tomatoes.” The utterance begins with Das Rezept, the subject: “the recipe.” braucht then states what it needs. Zwiebeln und Tomaten is the coordinated object: “onions and tomatoes.” Together, Das Rezept braucht Zwiebeln und Tomaten. means “The recipe needs onions and tomatoes.”

3. Wir haben Tomaten, aber wir haben keine Zwiebeln mehr.

   We have tomatoes, but we're out of onions.

   Wir haben

   we have

   Tomaten

   tomatoes

   aber

   but

   keine … mehr

   no ... left

   Zwiebeln

   onions

   More detail

   Wir haben means “we have.” haben is the present-tense form of haben for wir; the same verb is used for possession and availability. Example: Wir haben Brot. — “We have bread.” Tomaten means “tomatoes.” It is the plural of die Tomate. Here it is the thing available, and its plural form is Tomaten; this visible form is also used for plural accusative objects. Example: Wir kaufen Tomaten. — “We are buying tomatoes.” aber means “but.” It links two contrasting statements. In this sentence, the second clause still has the usual main-clause verb position: wir haben .... Example: Ich habe Zeit, aber ich habe kein Geld. — “I have time, but I have no money.” keine ... mehr expresses that none of something is available any longer: naturally here, “no ... left.” keine is the negative determiner used with the plural noun Zwiebeln, while mehr means “any more” in this pattern. Together they surround the noun: keine Zwiebeln mehr. With a singular noun, the corresponding pattern can be keine Zwiebel mehr — “no onion left.” Zwiebeln means “onions.” It is the plural of die Zwiebel. Here it is the object of haben; its plural accusative form is Zwiebeln, the same visible form as the plural nominative. Together, Wir haben Tomaten states that tomatoes are available. aber introduces the contrast, and wir haben keine Zwiebeln mehr states that onions are no longer available. The complete utterance therefore means: “We have tomatoes, but we're out of onions.”

4. Können wir stattdessen Frühlingszwiebeln nehmen?

   Can we use green onions instead?

   Können wir

   Can we …?

   stattdessen

   instead

   Frühlingszwiebeln

   green onions

   nehmen

   use

   More detail

   Können wir asks about what the speakers are able or permitted to do. können is the modal verb “can/be able to”; wir is the first-person plural subject, “we.” In a yes/no question, the conjugated modal comes first and the subject follows: Können wir ...? Example: Können wir morgen kommen? — “Can we come tomorrow?” The other verb remains in the infinitive at the end of the clause. stattdessen means “instead” and signals a replacement for the previously considered or available option. It is an adverb, so it does not change for person or number. Example: Wir nehmen Reis stattdessen. — “We’ll use rice instead.” Frühlingszwiebeln means “green onions” in this sentence. It is a plural noun; the singular is Frühlingszwiebel, “green onion.” The word is a compound built from Frühling (“spring”) and Zwiebel (“onion”), but the complete compound is the food name used here. Example: Ich kaufe Frühlingszwiebeln. — “I’m buying green onions.” nehmen is the infinitive “take.” In this cooking context, nehmen means “use” or “choose,” rather than merely physically take something. Its present-tense forms include ich nehme, du nimmst, and wir nehmen; the vowel change appears in du nimmst and er/sie nimmt, but not in wir nehmen. Example: Wir nehmen die kleine Schüssel. — “We’ll use the small bowl.” Together, Können wir ... nehmen? forms a reusable question pattern meaning “Can we use ...?” Placing stattdessen before the proposed item makes the replacement explicit. Thus the utterance asks whether the speakers can use green onions instead of the onions that are unavailable in the preceding context.

5. Vielleicht, aber der Geschmack wird anders sein.

   Maybe, but the taste will be different.

   Vielleicht

   maybe

   aber

   but

   Geschmack

   taste

   wird

   will

   anders

   different

   sein

   be

   More detail

   Vielleicht means “maybe” and signals uncertainty about the following statement. It can stand at the beginning of a sentence without changing the intended content. Example: Vielleicht kommt Anna morgen. — “Maybe Anna is coming tomorrow.” aber means “but” and connects this statement with a contrast. It does not itself specify what the contrast is; here, the contrast is between the possibility just mentioned and the taste being different. Geschmack means “taste” here, referring to the flavor of something. It is a masculine noun: der Geschmack; its plural is die Geschmäcker, although the singular is natural when discussing one overall flavor. Example: Der Geschmack ist mild. — “The taste is mild.” wird is the third-person singular present form of werden. With an infinitive at the end, werden ... sein forms the future: wird carries the future meaning, while the infinitive names the situation that will occur. werden also has other uses, including “become,” so its function is determined by the construction here. Example: Das Essen wird kalt sein. — “The food will be cold.” anders means “different” or “otherwise” here. In anders sein, it describes how something is, and it does not take an adjective ending in this use. Example: Heute ist alles anders. — “Today everything is different.” sein is the infinitive “to be.” After the future form wird, the infinitive remains at the end of the clause. Its useful forms include sein — “to be,” ist — “is,” and war — “was.” Example: Der Saft wird süß sein. — “The juice will be sweet.” Together, Vielleicht presents the statement as uncertain, aber introduces a contrast, and der Geschmack wird anders sein says that the taste will be different in the future. The whole utterance therefore means: “Maybe, but the taste will be different.”

6. Dann kaufe ich Zwiebeln im Laden an der Ecke.

   Then I'll buy onions from the corner shop.

   Dann

   then

   kaufe

   buy

   ich

   I

   Zwiebeln

   onions

   im Laden

   in the shop

   an der Ecke

   at the corner

   More detail

   Dann means “then” and places this action after an earlier point or event. It is a time adverb, so it does not change the verb’s form. Example: Erst esse ich, dann gehe ich. — “First I eat, then I leave.” kaufe is the first-person singular present form of kaufen, “to buy”: ich kaufe — “I buy.” German present tense can also refer to a planned or expected future action when the time is clear; here Dann supports the translation “Then I’ll buy.” The form changes with the subject: ich kaufe, but du kaufst — “you buy.” ich means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the person carrying out kaufe. Example: Ich kaufe Brot. — “I’m buying bread.” Zwiebeln means “onions” here. It is the plural of Zwiebel, “onion.” The plural form is the object of kaufe: the thing being bought. Example: Wir schneiden Zwiebeln. — “We cut onions.” im Laden means “in the shop/store.” im is the contraction of in dem; Laden is a masculine noun, and the dative form after this location phrase is dem Laden. With a destination rather than a location, German commonly uses the accusative instead: Ich gehe in den Laden. — “I’m going into the shop.” an der Ecke means “at the corner.” an is used here for a location, and der Ecke is the dative form of the feminine noun Ecke, “corner.” The phrase identifies which shop is meant: it is located at the corner. Example: Das Café ist an der Ecke. — “The café is at the corner.” Together, Dann kaufe ich Zwiebeln im Laden an der Ecke. means “Then I’ll buy onions from the corner shop.” Literally, it presents the buying action as happening at the shop located at the corner; the natural English translation uses “from” for the place where the onions are bought.

7. Wir müssen noch den Reis abmessen.

   We still need to measure the rice.

   Wir müssen

   we need to

   noch

   still

   Reis

   rice

   abmessen

   measure out

   More detail

   Wir müssen means “we need to” here. müssen is the present-tense form of müssen (“must/need to”) for wir; with a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end: Wir müssen warten. — “We need to wait.” The subject wir means “we,” but this sentence does not specify who else is included. noch means “still” here: the measuring remains to be done. It is separate from müssen, so noch adds the idea that the task is pending rather than changing the obligation itself. Example: Ich bin noch müde. — “I am still tired.” Reis means “rice.” It is a mass noun in this use, referring to rice generally rather than asserting a particular numerical quantity. In den Reis, den marks Reis as the definite object of the action; the useful reusable pattern is etwas abmessen (“measure out something”). abmessen means “to measure out,” especially an amount of something. It is a separable verb: in a finite clause, the parts can separate, as in Ich messe den Reis ab. — “I measure out the rice.” In the fixed sentence it remains an infinitive after müssen, so it appears as the single form abmessen. The related verb messen means “measure” more generally; abmessen highlights measuring out a portion. Together, Wir müssen + noch + den Reis + abmessen gives: “We still need to measure out the rice.” The modal construction places the infinitive abmessen at the end, while noch indicates that this task is still pending.

8. Ich messe genug Reis für vier Personen ab, wenn ich zurück bin.

   I'll measure enough rice for four people after I get back.

   Ich

   I

   messe … ab

   measure out

   genug

   enough

   Reis

   rice

   für vier Personen

   for four people

   wenn ich zurück bin

   when I’m back

   More detail

   Ich means “I” and identifies the speaker as the subject. German subject pronouns include ich “I”, du “you” (singular, informal), and wir “we”. messe ... ab comes from the separable verb abmessen, “to measure out”. In the present tense, the verb stem appears as messe in the main clause and the prefix ab moves to the end: Ich messe den Reis ab. — “I measure out the rice.” The earlier context uses the infinitive abmessen after müssen: Wir müssen ... abmessen. genug means “enough”. It comes before the noun phrase here: genug Reis — “enough rice”. It expresses a sufficient amount, without specifying more than the stated amount is sufficient for. Reis means “rice”. In this sentence it is used as a mass noun, so it has no plural ending and appears without an article after genug. The same noun can refer to rice in general or to an amount of rice, depending on context. für vier Personen means “for four people”. für introduces the intended recipients or purpose and takes the accusative case; vier Personen is the plural noun phrase “four people”. Personen is the plural of Person. wenn ich zurück bin means “when I am back”. wenn introduces a subordinate time clause. In this clause, bin, the first-person singular present form of sein, comes at the end: wenn ich zurück bin. zurück means “back”, indicating a return to the relevant place or situation. German present tense can refer to a future event when the time context makes that clear. Together, Ich messe genug Reis für vier Personen ab means “I’ll measure out enough rice for four people.” The subordinate clause wenn ich zurück bin places this action after the speaker has returned, giving the complete meaning: “I’ll measure enough rice for four people after I get back.”