Groceries & the Market
Use these essential phrases when shopping for fresh produce, asking for prices and quantities, and checking out at German markets and grocery stores.
Key Phrases
Was kostet das?
casualHow much is that?
Short and direct, very common at market stalls.
Wie viel kostet ein Kilo Äpfel?
neutralHow much does a kilo of apples cost?
Standard question when asking the price of produce by weight.
Ein Kilo Tomaten, bitte.
casualOne kilo of tomatoes, please.
Natural short phrasing when pointing at produce at a counter.
Ich nehme ein Kilo Tomaten.
neutralI will take a kilo of tomatoes.
Standard complete sentence when ordering at a service counter.
Nur ein paar Orangen, bitte.
neutralJust a few oranges, please.
Keep 'ein paar' lowercase when you mean 'a few'.
Wo ist das frische Brot?
casualWhere is the fresh bread?
Quick, direct question when you cannot locate a section.
Wo finde ich das frische Gemüse?
neutralWhere do I find the fresh vegetables?
Standard neutral phrasing to ask grocery store staff.
Wiege ich das Obst hier?
neutralDo I weigh the fruit here?
Useful in supermarkets with customer self-weigh scales.
Das ist alles, danke.
neutralThat is all, thank you.
Standard reply when the clerk asks if you need anything else.
Danke schön, auf Wiedersehen!
politeThank you very much, goodbye!
Fixed polite courtesy formula when leaving a shop.