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Expressing "To Eat" in German

From slang to more formal expressions, there are a number of different verbs that mean "to eat" in German. 

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Any Yabla German beginners might still be grappling with the conjugation of essen, which involves a stem change: 

 

Als Beilage isst man auch sehr gerne Kartoffelsalat.

People like to eat potato salad very much as a side dish.

Caption 60, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte Baden-Württemberg - Part 2

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More advanced learners should know verzehren, which is generally a more formal verb. You could compare it to using "to consume" in English. Be aware, however, that sich verzehren nach means "to deeply long for" someone or something. 

 

Ich sollte ihn einfangen und verzehren.

I should catch him and eat him up.

Caption 51, Märchenstunde: Der Lebkuchenmann

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Woher wissen wir überhaupt, welche Tiere im Mittelalter verzehrt wurden?

How do we even know which animals were eaten in the Middle Ages?

Captions 1-2, Das Mittelalter im Südwesten: Wovon lebten die Bauern?

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Now let's look at some fun slang options. Although fressen is a normal verb used to talk about animals eating, it can also be applied to humans when they eat in a way that seems animalistic—such as devouring food, eating greedily, or making a mess. In those contexts, it often carries a nuance of greed or lack of manners and may sometimes be translated as "to guzzle." 

 

Täglich fressen sie bis zu anderthalb Kilogramm Gras und Kräuter.

Every day they eat up to one and a half kilograms of grass and herbs.

Caption 33, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten

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Das Pferd frisst gerne Äpfel.

The horse likes eating apples.

Caption 38, Deutsch mit Eylin: Pronomen

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The verb naschen has the connotation of snacking. 

 

 

So ein prächtiger Baum voller Kirschen macht einfach Lust aufs Naschen.

Such a magnificent tree full of cherries simply makes you want to have a nibble.

Caption 1, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen 2

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In a previous lesson, we looked at the difference between futtern and füttern. The verb futtern without an umlaut means "to eat," "to feed (on)," or "to scarf down." 

 

Alle Zellen werden leben, wenn wir ihnen zu futtern geben.

All the cells will live if we give them something to feed on.

Caption 24, Es war einmal ... das Leben Die Zelle - Part 3

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Further Learning
You'll find more examples of these verbs on Yabla German

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