Gemüse
/ɡəˈmyːzə/
The German word for vegetables is Gemüse.
Gemüse refers to plants or parts of plants that are grown for food.
How does it change in a sentence?
In German, Gemüse is a collective noun that is grammatically singular, even when referring to many different types of vegetables.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡəˈmyːzə/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to pluralize Gemüse by adding an ending (such as 'Gemüsen') because they view the word as plural. However, it remains Gemüse when used in its collective sense.
Did you know?
- The word Gemüse shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'mush'.
- In some German dialects, such as Bavarian, the word for vegetables is pronounced as Gmias, a variation of the standard Gemüse.
- While Gemüse is collective, German uses the word Gemüsesorte to specify a single variety or type of vegetable.
Examples in context
- Tom aß sein Gemüse.Tom ate his vegetables.This sentence shows how to use Gemüse to describe what someone ate.Tatoeba #11488202 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #8245980 by Hybrid
- Ißt du viel Gemüse?Do you eat a lot of vegetables?This sentence uses Gemüse to ask about dietary habits.Tatoeba #12990908 by Waldelfe, translation #11040600 by CK
- Wo kaufst du Gemüse?Where do you buy vegetables?This sentence uses Gemüse to ask about a shopping location.Tatoeba #1496776 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1495791 by CK
- Ich esse gerne Gemüse.I enjoy eating vegetables.
- Bitte bringen Sie mir einen Blumenkohl.Please bring me a cauliflower.
- Ich esse gerne Salat mit Gurken.I enjoy eating salads with cucumbers.
- 260 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Julian are preparing dinner together.
- JuliaWelches Gemüse sollen wir heute kochen?Which vegetables should we cook today?
- JulianIch glaube, wir haben noch Karotten und Gemüse.I think we still have carrots and vegetables.
- JuliaDas ist gut, ich mag frisches Gemüse.That's good, I like fresh vegetables.
- JulianDann schneide ich jetzt das Gemüse.Then I will cut the vegetables now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Gemüse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Gemüse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
