Going to a German Supermarkt

What is it like to go to a supermarket in a German-speaking country?

The old saying, "You are what you eat" is usually translated in German to "Man isst was man ist" - which forms a pun in German as well (with isst being the third-person conjugation of essen / to eat and ist being is).

A trip to a German supermarket (Supermarkt auf Deutsch) reveals much about German food culture and the grocery shopping habits of most Germans.

The average German Supermarkt tends to be smaller than its American counterpart, illustrating the German preference for buying fresh meats and produce frequently and from specialty stores: the butcher or Metzgerei, the bakery or Bäckerei (it is not uncommon for many Germans to make daily trips to the bakery to get the freshest Brot or Brötchen), the dairy store or Mölkerei, the produce store or Obst- und Gemüseladen, the beverage store or Getränkemarkt (where Bier and Mineralwasser are bought by the case), and, perhaps most loved of all by Germans, from the Wochenmarkt or weekly outdoor market, usually open once or twice per week in most German towns (with Saturday markets being most popular) and offering the freshest farm to table produce, meats, poultry, bread, cheeses, etc. A visit to Germany would not be complete without seeing a Wochenmarkt in full swing.

Wortschatz - Supermarkt

Wortschatz - Supermarkt

Click to listen to the pronunciation of these terms.

süß - sweet
salzig - salty
warm - warm
sauer - sour
bitter - bitter
scharf - spicy
hart - hard
alt - old
kalt - cold
trocken - dry
fettig - greasy
zu - to
zu scharf - too spicy
zu salzig - too salty
zu kalt - too cold

Click to listen to the pronunciation of these terms.

kosten - to cost
Was kostet...? How much is...?
kochen - to cook
backen - bake
brauchen - to need
schmecken - to taste
probieren - to taste something
die Flasche - the bottle
die Kiste - the case
der Becher - the container/the bowl
die Packung - the package
das Pfund - the pound
das Kilo - the kilogram
das Gram - the gram
der Liter - the liter
die Lebensmittel - the groceries
das Salat-Öl - the salad oil
der Zucker - the sugar
das Mehl - the flour
eine Prise Salz - a pinch of salt
die Gewürze - the seasoning/spices
das Schwein - the pig
das Geflügel - the poultry
der Aufschnitt - the cold cut
das Obst - the fruit
das Gemüse - the vegetables
der Schinken - the ham

Click to listen to the pronunciation of these terms.

Ich habe genug. - I have enough
Ich bin satt. - I'm full
Ich möchte nicht mehr. - I don't want any more
fantastisch - fantastic
sehr gut - very good
gut - good
lecker - delicious

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