Today's words · 🥤 Drinks
Thirsty? 10 German words for ordering drinks
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Ever ordered “water” in a German restaurant and got a fizzy bottle — and a bill for it?
You sit down in a German restaurant and the waiter asks, “Was möchten Sie trinken?” You ask for water, and out comes sparkling water… which then appears on your bill.
Today's ten words are for ordering drinks in cafés and restaurants. With them you'll get exactly what you want — including the drink Germans love most! 🥤
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Wasser
[VASS-er]water(no pl.)
📌 Ich trinke jeden Tag zwei Liter Wasser.
→ I drink two litres of water every day.
💡 A brother of English water 💧 The w sounds like v.
⚠ In restaurants, plain Wasser usually means bottled water you pay for.
trinken
[TRING-ken]to drink(trinkt – hat getrunken (irregular))
📌 Ich trinke morgens einen Tee.
→ I drink a cup of tea in the morning.
💡 The twin of drink 🍹 Just swap d for t.
⚠ Irregular: trinken – trank – hat getrunken
das Getränk
[guh-TRENK]drink, beverage(Pl. die Getränke)
📌 Was möchten Sie als Getränk?
→ What would you like to drink?
💡 The noun from trinken 🥂 Something you trink is a Getränk!
Bonus On menus, the drinks section is usually called Getränke.
der Kaffee
[KAF-ay]coffee(Pl. die Kaffees)
📌 Möchtest du einen Kaffee?
→ Would you like a coffee?
💡 From Arabic qahwa, via Turkish and French ☕ A long journey to der Kaffee!
⚠ The drink is der Kaffee; the café is das Café.
der Tee
[TAY]tea(Pl. die Tees)
📌 Trinkst du lieber Kaffee oder Tee?
→ Do you prefer coffee or tea?
💡 From a southern Chinese word te, via Dutch 🍵 Just one long syllable.
Bonus herbal tea = der Kräutertee · green tea = der grüne Tee
der Saft
[ZAFT]juice(Pl. die Säfte)
📌 Einen Orangensaft, bitte.
→ An orange juice, please.
💡 What you squeeze out of fruit 🍊 Orange + Saft = Orangensaft!
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Säfte
das Mineralwasser
[min-eh-RAHL-vass-er]mineral water, sparkling water(Pl. die Mineralwässer)
📌 Ein Mineralwasser, bitte.
→ A mineral water, please.
💡 Mineral + Wasser 🫧 In Germany it's usually sparkling by default!
Bonus still water = stilles Wasser
der Durst
[DOORST]thirst((no pl.))
📌 Ich habe großen Durst.
→ I'm very thirsty.
💡 Same root as thirst 🏜️ Swap th for d and you'll see it.
⚠ Germans “have” thirst: Ich habe Durst.
das Leitungswasser
[LY-toongs-vass-er]tap water(Sg.)
📌 Kann ich bitte ein Glas Leitungswasser haben?
→ Could I have a glass of tap water, please?
💡 Leitung (pipe) + Wasser = water from the pipes 🚰 German tap water is safe to drink.
Bonus To order: Ein Glas Leitungswasser, bitte.
die Schorle
[SHOR-luh]spritzer (juice or wine with sparkling water)(Pl. die Schorlen)
📌 Im Sommer trinke ich am liebsten eine kalte Apfelschorle.
→ In summer I like a cold apple spritzer best.
💡 Half juice + half sparkling water = Schorle 🍏 Germany's favourite soft drink!
Bonus Most popular: die Apfelschorle (in the south also das Schorle)
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Water usually isn't free in German restaurants. If you just order Wasser, you'll often get a bottle of sparkling water. Some places will bring tap water if you ask, but it depends on the restaurant.
Many plastic and glass bottles from the supermarket carry a deposit (Pfand). Put the empties into the machine at the supermarket and you get your money back — so don't throw them away!
After sport, at children's parties, almost everywhere, you'll see Apfelschorle. It's refreshing, not too sweet, and very easy to get hooked on. 🍎
✅ Quick quiz
Q. In a restaurant you'd like a free glass of tap water. What do you say?
- ① Ein Glas Leitungswasser, bitte.
- ② Ein Mineralwasser, bitte.
- ③ Ich habe keinen Durst.
Show the answer
① Ein Glas Leitungswasser, bitte.
Leitungswasser = tap water; Mineralwasser is usually bottled water you pay for.
Next time you're in a café, order in German with today's words. First time? Try an Apfelschorle! 🥤
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🧳 Packing