German supermarket words: 25 words for food shopping in Germany

🇩🇪 GermanA1–A225 words

Food shopping in Germany has its own routines: bringing your own bag, returning bottles for Pfand, packing fast at the Kasse. This list covers the counters, weights, packaging and checkout phrases you need for a normal shopping trip.

Where you will use it: Supermarkets, discounters, markets and food shopping in Germany.

German supermarket and grocery words — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

German	Meaning and example
die Kasse	the checkout“An der Kasse ist eine lange Schlange.”There's a long queue at the checkout.
der Einkaufswagen	the shopping trolley“Für den Einkaufswagen brauchst du einen Euro.”You need a euro for the shopping trolley.
die Tüte	the (shopping) bag“Brauchen Sie eine Tüte?”Do you need a bag?
das Pfand	the deposit (on bottles)“Auf die Flasche gibt es 25 Cent Pfand.”There's a 25-cent deposit on the bottle.
der Pfandautomat	the bottle return machine“Der Pfandautomat ist neben dem Eingang.”The bottle return machine is next to the entrance.
das Angebot	the special offer“Die Erdbeeren sind diese Woche im Angebot.”Strawberries are on offer this week.
der Discounter	the discount supermarket“Beim Discounter ist Obst oft billiger.”Fruit is often cheaper at the discount supermarket.
billig	cheap“Die Tomaten sind heute sehr billig.”The tomatoes are very cheap today.
teuer	expensive“Käse ist hier ziemlich teuer.”Cheese is quite expensive here.
das Obst	the fruit“Das Obst kommt aus der Region.”The fruit is from the region.
das Gemüse	the vegetables“Ich kaufe Gemüse auf dem Wochenmarkt.”I buy vegetables at the weekly market.
die Milch	the milk“Wir brauchen noch Milch.”We still need milk.
der Käse	the cheese“Ein Stück Gouda, bitte – der Käse sieht gut aus.”A piece of Gouda, please – the cheese looks good.
die Eier	the eggs“Ich brauche sechs Eier für den Kuchen.”I need six eggs for the cake.
die Butter	the butter“Ist noch Butter da?”Is there any butter left?
das Kühlregal	the chilled section“Joghurt findest du im Kühlregal.”You'll find yoghurt in the chilled section.
die Packung	the pack; packet“Eine Packung Nudeln kostet einen Euro.”A packet of pasta costs one euro.
die Dose	the tin; can“Ich nehme zwei Dosen Tomaten.”I'll take two tins of tomatoes.
das Kilo	the kilo“Ein Kilo Äpfel, bitte.”A kilo of apples, please.
das Gramm	the gram“Ich hätte gern 200 Gramm Schinken.”I'd like 200 grams of ham.
die Frischetheke	the fresh food counter“An der Frischetheke gibt es frischen Fisch.”There's fresh fish at the fresh food counter.
bio	organic“Kaufst du lieber bio?”Do you prefer to buy organic?
das Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum	the best-before date“Das Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum steht auf dem Deckel.”The best-before date is on the lid.
der Kassenbon	the receipt“Möchten Sie den Kassenbon?”Would you like the receipt?
mit Karte zahlen	to pay by card“Kann ich hier mit Karte zahlen?”Can I pay by card here?

Tips for learning German words

Learn der, die or das with every nounThe article is part of the word: der Zug, die Fahrkarte, das Gleis. It decides the case endings and adjectives, so learn it from day one.
Type the umlauts and ßWrite ä, ö, ü and ß, not a, o, u or ss: schon means "already" but schön means "beautiful". Getting them right in WordNest trains your spelling.
Watch the verb positionIn a German main clause the verb comes second, and separable verbs split: "Ich rufe dich morgen an." Read each example aloud to feel the word order.

Standard German as used in Germany

German is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and a few everyday words differ between them: a tomato is a Tomate in Germany and a Paradeiser in Austria, a bicycle is a Fahrrad rather than a Velo. These lists follow Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany, and WordNest's examples, audio and AI corrections use the same standard. You will be understood in every German-speaking country.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

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Questions about this list

Is this German from Germany, Austria or Switzerland?

Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany. Where Austria or Switzerland usually use a different word, the list gives the one used in Germany, but every word is understood across the German-speaking world.

How do I practise German supermarket and grocery words?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the German word, with its article, from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

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