Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Abendessen | /ˈʔaːbəntˌʔɛsən/ (standard) /ˈaːmˌtɛsən/ (informal) |
neuter |
| Dinner | neuter |
The term is used to refer to the meal eaten in the evening.
What does it mean word for word?
Abendessen is a compound word consisting of Abend (evening) and Essen (meal/food).
Which one should you use?
Abendessen is the standard, everyday word for dinner, whereas Dinner is used for more formal or elegant dining events.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Abendessen is the standard term. In contrast, Dinner is a loanword used to describe a formal banquet or a high-class social dining event. For more casual situations, you might hear the informal term Abendbrot or even the generic term Essen to refer to the meal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The informal term Abendbrot is used in various regions of Germany to refer to dinner.
How does it change in a sentence?
Abendessen is a neuter noun, meaning it takes the article das.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔaːbəntˌʔɛsən/
Did you know?
- The informal term Abendbrot literally translates to 'evening bread', reflecting a traditional German custom of eating cold cuts, cheeses and bread for dinner rather than a cooked meal.
- In traditional German households, the Abendbrot was historically designed to be quick and simple so that the heaviest meal of the day could be eaten at midday.
- German uses the same word Essen for both the act of eating (the verb) and the meal itself (the noun), distinguishing them only by capitalization.
Examples in context
- Er aß das Abendessen.He ate dinner.This sentence shows how to use Abendessen to say someone ate dinner.Tatoeba #9984734 by wolfgangth, translation #7775985 by Mohamedzakaria
- Sie aß ihr Abendessen.She ate her dinner.Tatoeba #1342020 by Esperantostern, translation #315103 by CK
- Wo ist mein Abendessen?Where's my dinner?This sentence shows how to use Abendessen to ask where a dinner is.Tatoeba #13931836 by Naina, translation #2904792 by CK
- Wir möchten das Abendessen bestellen, bitte.We would like to order dinner, please.
- Was ist die heutige Hauptmahlzeit?What is today's main meal?
- Lass uns Abendbrot essen!Let's have dinner!
- Kommst du heute Abend zum Abendessen?Are you coming over for dinner tonight?
- Gehen wir heute Abend um sieben Uhr essen?Shall we go for dinner at seven o'clock tonight?
- 598 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Maximilian are deciding what to eat in the evening.
- HannahWas gibt es heute zum Abendessen?What is for dinner today?
- MaximilianIch koche heute ein Abendessen für uns.I am cooking a dinner for us today.
- HannahDas ist toll, Maximilian!That is great, Maximilian!
- MaximilianDas Abendessen ist in einer Stunde fertig.Dinner will be ready in one hour.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinner” translations and entries Abendessen, Dinner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
