German · A1 · Everyday language
Little Sips Bites in German
Use gentle German phrases to offer food and drinks and check what is left. English “some” and “any” do not always need a separate word in German.
What you'll learn
- Offer small amounts of food and drink with etwas.
- Ask whether there is anything left using noch.
- Say that something has run out using kein … mehr.
German phrases for little sips bites
Hier ist etwas Milch.
Here is some milk.
Etwas means “some” or “a little” here.
Möchtest du etwas Banane?
Would you like some banana?
Etwas Banane means a portion of banana, not necessarily a whole one.
Lass uns etwas Haferbrei essen.
Let's have some porridge.
Lass uns … essen means “let’s eat …”. Haferbrei is oat porridge.
Möchtest du etwas Wasser?
Do you want some water?
Möchtest du …? is a gentle way to offer something: “Would you like …?”
Ist noch Milch da?
Is there any milk left?
Noch … da asks whether something is still available. No separate word for “any” is needed.
Möchtest du noch etwas?
Do you want any more?
At feeding time, noch etwas means “some more”.
Es ist kein Joghurt mehr da.
There isn't any yoghurt left.
Kein … mehr da means “there is no … left”.
Wir haben etwas weiche Birne.
We have some soft pear.
Etwas weiche Birne refers to a portion of soft pear. Weiche means “soft” here.
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
die Milch
milk
Usually used without an article when offering a drink: Möchtest du Milch?
die Banane
banana
Eine Banane is one banana; etwas Banane is some banana.
der Haferbrei
porridge; oatmeal
Hafer means “oats”; Brei means a soft, thick food such as porridge.
das Wasser
water
Etwas Wasser means “some water” or “a little water”.
der Joghurt
yoghurt
Der Joghurt is standard in Germany; das Joghurt is also used in some regions.
die Birne
pear
Eine Birne is one pear; etwas Birne is some pear.
Saying “some” with etwas
Use etwas for an unspecified amount of food or drink. Etwas does not change its form. German can also leave it out when the amount is not important.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Some or a little | etwas + food or drink | Hier ist etwas Milch. — Here is some milk. |
| No separate word for “some” | Möchtest du + food or drink? | Möchtest du Wasser? — Would you like some water? |
Asking about “any” and “more”
German does not have one word that replaces “any” in every sentence. Use noch to ask about what is left, and noch etwas to offer more.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Anything left? | Ist noch + food or drink + da? | Ist noch Milch da? — Is there any milk left? |
| Any more? | Möchtest du noch etwas? | Möchtest du noch etwas? — Would you like some more? |
Saying “not any … left”
Use kein or keine to say there is none. Add mehr da to say there is none left. In these sentences, use kein with masculine or neuter nouns and keine with feminine nouns.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine noun | Es ist kein … mehr da. | Es ist kein Joghurt mehr da. — There isn't any yoghurt left. |
| Feminine noun | Es ist keine … mehr da. | Es ist keine Milch mehr da. — There isn't any milk left. |
More examples
Möchtest du noch etwas Wasser?
Would you like some more water?
Add the food or drink after noch etwas to offer more of it.
Ist noch Haferbrei da?
Is there any porridge left?
Use the same question pattern with another food.