Studying German vegetable names is a fun way of expanding one’s German vocabulary. When learning and counting German vegetables, one needs to keep the article and ending of the vegetable name in German in mind. Let’s see which vegetables we would find at a German Gemüseladen or Gemüsemarkt (greengrocer’s or farmers market)!
Deutsches Gemüse – German Vegetables with the Female Article die
The easiest vegetables to learn in German are those with the female article die because they also form their plural regularly by simply adding -n to the singular form, for example die Kartoffel – die Kartoffeln. Below is a list of the most common German vegetables and their plural forms in German:
- die Aubergine, Auberginen – eggplant, eggplants
- die Bohne, Bohnen – string bean, string beans
- die Erbse, Erbsen – pea, peas
- die Gurke, Gurken – cucumber, cucumbers
- die Karotte/die Möhre, Karotten/Möhren – carot, carots
- die Kartoffel, Kartoffeln – potatoe, potatoes
- die Rübe, Rüben – turnip, turnips
- die Tomate, Tomaten – tomatoe, tomatoes
- die Zwiebel, Zwiebeln – onion, onions
German Vegetables with the Male Article der
It gets a bit more difficult when learning German vegetables with the male article der. They either form their plurals irregularly (see below) or by adding a descriptive word. All cabbages, for example, are male because their root -kohl is male. Instead of saying two cabbages as in English, one would say two heads of cabbage – zwei Kohlköpfe in German.
Types of German Cabbage – deutsche Kohlsorten:
- der Blumenkohl, zwei Köpfe Blumenkohl – cauliflower, cauliflowers
- der Grünkohl, zwei Köpfe Grünkohl – green cabbage, green cabbages
- der Rosenkohl, Rosenkohlknollen – Brussel sprouts
- der Rotkohl, zwei Köpfe Rotkohl – red cabbage, red cabbages
Other German vegetables that require a descriptive plural:
- der Knoblauch, die Knoblauchzehen – garlic, cloves of garlic
- der Lauch, Lauchstangen – leek, leeks
- der Mais/der Maiskolben, die Maiskolben – corn/corn cob, corn cobs
- der Salat, Salatköpfe – lettuce, heads of lettuce
- der Spinat, die Köpfe Spinat – spinach, heads of spinach
There is a plural of Salat that is Salate but it refers to a serving of salad, for example a mixed salad, not the vegetable alone.
German Vegetables with s-Plurals
Finally, German vegetable names that form their plurals by adding -s to the singular – those vegetables that end in a vowel or -s/-z. Notice that pumpkin and mushroom are included here though their respective plurals are Kürbisse and Pilze. Kürbis already ends with -s, so to emphasize the plural, one has to add -se. Pilz ends in -z, which is pronounced ts, so even here an -e is added to indicate the plural.
- der Brokkoli, Brokkolis – broccoli, broccolis
- der Kohlrabi, Kohlrabis – stem cabbage or stem turnip (a lesser known German vegetable)
- der Kürbis, Kürbisse – pumpkin, pumpkins
- die Okra, Okras – okra/lady finger, okras/lady fingers
- die Paprika, Paprikas – pepper/capsicum, peppers/capsicums
- der Pilz, Pilze – mushroom, mushrooms
- die Radi, Radis – radish, radishes
- der Sellerie, die Selleries – celery
- die Zucchini, Zucchinis – zucchini/green squash, zucchinis/green squashes
Here is a short list of German vegetables names that don’t change their plural form:
- das Radieschen, Radieschen – radish, radishes (the small, red variety)
- die Rote Bete, Rote Bete – beetroot, beetroots
- der Spargel, Spargel – asparagus
So, when learning vegetables in German, look at the article first to determine which group the vegetable falls into – grammatically speaking. If it is female, simply add an -n for plurals in most cases. If the vegetable name ends with a vowel or -s, add -s or -e. Then, use the list above to determine if the vegetable’s plural needs a more detailed description.
Make sure to also read about German fruits, colors and shapes in German and correct German pronunciation.
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