Ask what an Abendbrot invitation includes in German

The idea

Abendbrot (literally “evening bread”) is the word used especially in northern and eastern Germany for a simple evening meal: bread or rolls with butter, cheese, cold cuts, spreads, pickles and raw vegetables. It goes back to a pattern in which the main hot meal was eaten at midday. Abendessen is the general word for dinner and may be hot or cold. Many households now cook in the evening, so the word alone does not tell you the menu. Grammar: “etwas Warmes” capitalises the adjective used as a noun and adds -es.

Other ways to say it

“Esst ihr abends eher kalt oder warm?” – Casual and direct; asks about the household’s usual habit.

“Soll ich Brot oder Käse mitbringen?” – Offer to contribute something typical for Abendbrot.

“Gibt es auch etwas ohne Fleisch?” – Neutral way to check for vegetarian options.

Examples

• Was habt ihr für das gemeinsame Abendbrot geplant?What have you planned for supper together?
• Wir stellen Brot, Aufstriche und Gemüse auf den Tisch.We will put bread, spreads and vegetables on the table.
• Gibt es bei euch dazu auch etwas Warmes?Will you also have something hot with it?
• Heute nicht, aber das machen wir nicht immer gleich.Not today, but we do not always do it the same way.
• Dann frage ich lieber nach eurem konkreten Plan.Then I would rather ask about your specific plan.
• Genau, das Wort allein beschreibt nicht jedes Detail.Exactly; the word alone does not describe every detail.

Watch out

“Gibt es auch etwas warmes?” → “Gibt es auch etwas Warmes?”: After “etwas”, “nichts” or “viel”, an adjective becomes a noun: it is capitalised and takes the ending -es, as in “etwas Warmes”, “nichts Süßes”.

Try it yourself

1. Translate into German: What have you planned for supper together?

   Show answer or example answer

   Was habt ihr für das gemeinsame Abendbrot geplant?

   “Habt … geplant” is the perfect tense with the ihr form. “Für das gemeinsame Abendbrot” is accusative after für; after “das”, the adjective takes the weak ending -e.

2. Put the words in order: auch / bei / dazu / es / etwas / euch / Gibt / Warmes

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   Gibt es bei euch dazu auch etwas Warmes?

   “Gibt es” opens the yes/no question. “Bei euch” means at your home, “dazu” means in addition to the bread, and “etwas Warmes” is a noun formed from an adjective.

3. Write this sentence in German: Exactly; the word alone does not describe every detail.

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   Genau, das Wort allein beschreibt nicht jedes Detail.

   “Das Wort allein” is the subject: “allein” after a noun means “by itself”. “Nicht jedes Detail” negates the whole object with nicht before it.

Use it today

Friends invite you to Abendbrot on Friday. Write a reply that thanks them, asks whether anything warm will be served, and offers to bring something.