Grocery shopping
Lebensmitteleinkauf
- Write a grocery list for daily food and drinks.
- Ask a shop assistant about a product in the supermarket.
- verbs with stem changes
Learn key German verbs with stem changes like fahren, helfen, and essen, plus essential grocery words such as der Apfel, der Käse, and die Kasse, to navigate shopping at the supermarket confidently.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (19) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Sort the words into the two categories that describe food and shopping at the supermarket.
Lebensmittel
Supermarkt und Einkauf
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Frisch
Fresh
2
Der Käse
The cheese
3
Der Saft
The juice
4
Der Supermarkt
The supermarket
5
Einkaufen
To shop
Übung 5: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Beschreiben Sie die Artikel auf der Einkaufsliste. (Describe the items on the shopping list.)
- Fragen Sie den Verkäufer nach dem Standort der Produkte. (Ask the shop assistant for the location of the products.)
- Bezahlen Sie Ihre Produkte an der Kasse. (Pay for your products at the checkout.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Wo ist / sind ...? Where is / are ...? |
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Könnten Sie mir bitte einen Moment helfen? Could you help me for a moment, please? |
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Könnte ich eine Quittung bekommen? Could I have a receipt? |
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Ist dieses Produkt im Angebot? Is this product on sale? |
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Kann ich bar / mit Karte bezahlen? Can I pay in cash / by card? |
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Haben Sie eine Tasche? Do you have a bag? |
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Ist dieser Preis korrekt? Is this price correct? |
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Kann ich Ihnen helfen? Can I help you? |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ich ___ morgen zum Supermarkt, um frische Lebensmittel zu kaufen.
(I ___ am going to the supermarket tomorrow to buy fresh groceries.)2. ___ du mir bitte, die Einkaufsliste zu schreiben?
(___ you please help me write the shopping list?)3. Der Kassierer ___ den Apfel und die Banane im Einkaufswagen.
(The cashier ___ sees the apple and the banana in the shopping cart.)4. Wir ___ heute Abend frischen Käse und Tomaten.
(We ___ are eating fresh cheese and tomatoes tonight.)Exercise 8: Grocery shopping at the supermarket
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Fahren - Drive
Präsens
- ich fahre
- du fährst
- er/sie/es fährt
- wir fahren
- ihr fahrt
- sie/Sie fahren
Laufen - Walk
Präsens
- ich laufe
- du läufst
- er/sie/es läuft
- wir laufen
- ihr lauft
- sie/Sie laufen
Helfen - Help
Präsens
- ich helfe
- du hilfst
- er/sie/es hilft
- wir helfen
- ihr helft
- sie/Sie helfen
Essen - Eat
Präsens
- ich esse
- du isst
- er/sie/es isst
- wir essen
- ihr esst
- sie/Sie essen
Stoßen - Push
Präsens
- ich stoße
- du stößt
- er/sie/es stößt
- wir stoßen
- ihr stoßt
- sie/Sie stoßen
Exercise 9: Verben mit Stammveränderung
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Verbs with stem changes
Show translation Show answerstrinkst, läuft, stößt, fahrt, esst, helfen, hilft, fährst
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Einkaufen to shop Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) kaufe ein | I shop |
| (du) kaufst ein | You shop |
| (er/sie/es) kauft ein | he/she/it shops |
| (wir) kaufen ein | we shop |
| (ihr) kauft ein | you shop |
| (sie) kaufen ein | they shop |
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Lesson Overview: Grocery Shopping in German
This lesson focuses on practical language skills needed for grocery shopping in Germany. It introduces useful vocabulary related to food items (Lebensmittel) and supermarket locations (Orte im Supermarkt), as well as common verbs with stem changes used in everyday shopping scenarios.
Key Vocabulary
Familiarize yourself with typical food items such as der Apfel (apple), der Joghurt (yogurt), der Käse (cheese), and der Saft (juice). Also learn supermarket terms like der Einkaufswagen (shopping cart) and die Kasse (checkout). These words are essential for navigating a German supermarket confidently.
Important Verbs with Stem Changes
The lesson highlights common irregular verbs used in shopping contexts, focusing on their present tense forms (Präsens). Examples include:
- fahren (to drive/go): ich fahre, du fährst, er/sie/es fährt
- laufen (to walk/run): ich laufe, du läufst, er/sie/es läuft
- helfen (to help): ich helfe, du hilfst, er/sie/es hilft
- fragen (to ask): ich frage, du fragst, er/sie/es fragt
- antworten (to answer): ich antworte, du antwortest, er/sie/es antwortet
Practical Phrases and Dialogues
You will find useful phrases to ask for help, find products, and discuss prices. For example:
- "Können Sie mir bitte helfen? Ich suche frischen Käse." (Can you please help me? I'm looking for fresh cheese.)
- "Wo finde ich den Saft im Supermarkt?" (Where can I find juice in the supermarket?)
- "Der Kassierer hilft mir beim Bezahlen an der Kasse." (The cashier helps me with payment at the checkout.)
Structure of the Lesson
The content includes vocabulary categorization exercises, sentence reorder tasks, dialogues to practice conversation, multiple-choice verb conjugation quizzes, and a short story about shopping together, designed to reinforce grammar and vocabulary.
Differences and Useful Tips Between English and German
German uses verb stem changes in the present tense particularly with du, er/sie/es, and ihr forms, which can be confusing for English speakers since English verbs rarely change forms so extensively. For instance, fahren changes to du fährst and er fährt, not matching the regular pattern.
Useful phrases for shopping include: Kannst du mir bitte helfen? (Can you please help me?), where bitte adds politeness. Also, German nouns are capitalized, a feature not present in English.
Summary
This lesson is ideal for A1 learners focusing on real-life conversations in supermarkets. It builds confidence through vocabulary, stem-changing verbs, and useful exchange dialogues, preparing learners for practical language use in everyday grocery shopping situations.
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