German · A1 · Family moment
Cooking together in German
Simple German for baking together: washing, stirring, pouring and tasting. Use these phrases when speaking to one child.
What you'll learn
- Use friendly instructions while baking together.
- Name basic ingredients and kitchen actions.
- Use informal singular imperatives with objects.
German phrases for cooking together
Lass uns einen Kuchen backen.
Let's bake a cake.
“Lass uns” plus an infinitive suggests something to do together.
Wasch dir zuerst die Hände.
Wash your hands first.
German commonly uses “dir” (to yourself) and “die Hände” rather than “your hands” here.
Rühr langsam.
Stir slowly.
“Rühr” is an instruction to one child. “Langsam” means “slowly.”
Gieß die Milch hinein.
Pour the milk.
“Hinein” means “in”: pour the milk into the bowl or other container being used.
Vorsicht, das ist heiß!
Careful, it is hot!
“Vorsicht!” is a short warning meaning “Careful!”
Kannst du das Ei aufschlagen?
Can you crack the egg?
“Ein Ei aufschlagen” means to crack an egg open. After “kannst,” the infinitive goes at the end.
Probier es.
Taste it.
“Es” means “it” and is the object. Only offer food that is safe to taste; avoid raw cake batter.
Mmm, das riecht gut.
Mmm, it smells good.
“Riecht” comes from “riechen,” meaning “to smell.”
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
der Kuchen
cake
Plural: die Kuchen. As an object: einen Kuchen.
die Hand
hand
Plural: die Hände.
die Milch
milk
Normally used without a plural in everyday German.
das Ei
egg
Plural: die Eier.
rühren
to stir
Instruction to one child: Rühr!
gießen
to pour
Instruction to one child: Gieß!
aufschlagen
to crack open
Used for eggs. In an imperative, it splits: Schlag das Ei auf!
probieren
to taste; to try
Instruction to one child: Probier!
Instructions to one child
Use the informal singular imperative. The verb usually comes first, and you leave out “du.” These common short forms sound natural in conversation.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stir | rühren → Rühr! | Rühr langsam. |
| Pour | gießen → Gieß! | Gieß die Milch hinein. |
| Taste | probieren → Probier! | Probier es. |
Imperatives with objects
The object names what the action affects and usually follows the imperative verb. For these direct objects, “der” changes to “den” and “ein” to “einen.” “Die” and “das” stay the same.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine object | der Kuchen → den Kuchen | Probier den Kuchen. |
| Feminine object | die Milch → die Milch | Gieß die Milch hinein. |
| Neuter object | das Ei → das Ei | Schlag das Ei auf! |
| Pronoun object | es = it | Probier es. |
Washing your hands
For actions involving your own body, German often uses a pronoun such as “dir” and the definite article. “Wasch dir die Hände” literally means “Wash yourself the hands.”
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction with dir | Wasch + dir + die Hände | Wasch dir zuerst die Hände. |
More examples
Probier den Kuchen.
Taste the cake.
“Den Kuchen” is the masculine direct object.
Gieß die Milch langsam hinein.
Pour the milk in slowly.
Add “langsam” to describe how to pour.
Schlag das Ei auf.
Crack the egg open.
The separable prefix “auf” goes at the end.