German words for kids · Food & drink
Food in German for kids
Mealtimes happen three or more times a day, so food words get used far more often than most vocabulary, and kids have strong opinions about them.
Food in German
das Essen
Sounds like ≈ dahs ESS-en
Good to know: Essen with a capital E is food or a meal; essen with a small e is "to eat". Lecker ("yummy") is a word kids use all the time.
The words
| English | German | Sounds like ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| apple | der Apfel | dair AHP-fel |
| banana | die Banane | dee bah-NAH-nuh |
| water | das Wasser | dahs VAHS-er |
| milk | die Milch | dee MILKH |
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our German songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
Es ist lecker!
It's tasty!
from Ich liebe Essen (I Love Food)
2 songs that teach it
These words are key words in these songs. Every line is shown in German with its English meaning.
Also sung in: Bitte und Danke, Eins, zwei, drei, Wie viele sind da?, Rot wie ein Apfel, Auf dem Bauernhof, Ein roter Apfel, Wasser und Milch, Obst und Gemüse and 14 more.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Name one food on the plate in German at every meal.
- 2Play shop or restaurant with toy food and order in German.
- 3Unpack the shopping together and name what comes out of the bag.
Related German words
“Food” in other languages
Sing it in German, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Germanhas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using German songs with your family.