Learn to talk about being a vegetarian
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| M: Hello and welcome to German Survival Phrases brought to you by germanpod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Germany. You will be surprised at how far a little German will go. Now before we jump in, remember to stop by germanpod101.com and there you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
| F: German Survival Phrases. Lesson 47, Survival for Vegetarians in Germany. |
| M: Today’s lesson is not only for all of the vegetarians out there but it’s also for anyone with an adversity to a particular food. There are many reasons a person will eat a particular food and there maybe instances when communicating this is necessary. Today we will go over some phrases to make sure you don’t get any unwanted surprises on your plate. In German, I am vegetarian is [Ich bin Vegetarier] let’s break it down by syllable [Ich bin Vegetarier] Now let’s hear it once again [Ich bin Vegetarier] The first word [Ich] means I and it’s the personal pronoun for a singular person. Let’s hear it one more time. [Ich] This is followed by [bin] am, first person singular form of [sein] to be and finally we have [Vegetarier] which in English is vegetarian. Let’s break down this word by syllable and hear it one more time [Vegetarier] So to recap here, we have [Ich bin Vegetarier] Literally this means I am vegetarian. Another way you can communicate you don’t eat a particular food is by saying just that. In Germany, it’s not impolite to tell other people that you don’t like a particular food or that you have a condition and just can’t eat it. In Germany, I don’t eat meat is [Ich esse kein Fleisch] Let’s break it down by syllable [Ich esse kein Fleisch] Now let’s hear it once again [Ich esse kein Fleisch] The first word [ich] is the same as in the other phrase and it means I. This is followed by [esse] which in English is eat. Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time [esse] Next is the word [kein] not. It’s an indefinite pronoun in its neutral singular form. So to recap here, we have [Ich esse kein] Literally this means I eat not. Let’s take a look at the next word [Fleisch] which means meat. [Fleisch] So altogether we have [Ich esse kein Fleisch] Literally this means I eat not meat but we translate it as I don’t eat meat. This sentence pattern can be used for other kinds of food by simply changing just one word. So let’s take a look at some other possibilities. Let’s try cheese which in German is [Ich esse keinen Käse] Let’s break it down by syllable [Ich esse keinen Käse] and now let’s hear it one more time [Ich esse keinen Käse] Now let’s try the phrase with this word. I don’t eat cheese in German is [Ich esse keinen Käse] Let’s break it down by syllable [Ich esse keinen Käse] and now hear it one more time [Ich esse keinen Käse] Note that we also have to change the indefinite pronoun [kein] not, to [keinen] because the gender of the pronoun depends on its defining word. In this case, the masculine noun [Käse] cheese. So to recap here, we have [Ich esse keinen Käse] If you want to make sure that some food doesn’t have an ingredient you can’t or you don’t want to eat, you should simply ask about it. For example, if you want to make sure that the meal doesn’t have meat, you should ask [Ist da Fleisch drin] Does this have meat? The first word [Ist] means [is] third person singular form of the verb [sein] to be. Let’s hear it one more time [Ist] Then you have [da] which means there and it’s clearly referred to the thing you are pointing in the menu or the meal you are talking about to the waiter. Let’s break it down and hear it one more time. [da] This is followed by [Fleisch] which you have already seen and it means meat [Fleisch] Finally you have [drin] which means in it [drin] is the colloquial form of the adverb [darin] which also means in it. So altogether we have [Ist da Fleisch drin] which literally means, is there meat in it. One more tip before wrapping up this lesson. In Germany, there is a trend to eat healthy food and vegetarian dishes. Though it’s quite easy to find vegetarian dishes on most restaurant’s menus, strict vegetarian restaurants are really being found but there are some in larger cities. There are also certain places usually small and private owned grocery stores that is specialized in vegetarian and health food. |
| Okay to close our today’s lesson, we would like you to practice what you’ve just learned. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So [Viel Glück] which means good luck in German. |
| I am vegetarian [Ich bin Vegetarier] I don’t eat meat [Ich esse kein Fleisch] I don’t eat cheese [Ich esse keinen Käse] does this have meat [Ist da Fleisch drin] That’s going to do it for today. |
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