die Schokolade
chocolate
Die Schokolade (the chocolate) is the German word for chocolate, both the bar you eat and the substance itself. It is a feminine noun, so it takes die as its definite article. As a mass noun it usually stays singular, but when you mean different kinds or bars, the plural is die Schokoladen.
You'll meet it in everyday phrases like eine Tafel Schokolade (a bar of chocolate), heiße Schokolade (hot chocolate), and dunkle Schokolade (dark chocolate). The short form Schoko appears in lots of compounds: der Schokoriegel (chocolate bar), der Schokokuchen (chocolate cake), and das Schokoeis (chocolate ice cream).
The word came into German from Spanish chocolate, which itself traces back to Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. That history is why it looks similar across so many European languages.
There is one nice idiom worth knowing. Die Schokoladenseite literally means "the chocolate side" and refers to someone's best or most flattering side, often for a photo: zeig deine Schokoladenseite (show your good side). It is a warm, everyday expression rather than slang.
Pronunciation: "scho-ko-LA-de", with the stress on the third syllable, LA. The "sch" sounds like English "sh", the "a" in the stressed syllable is long, and the final "e" is a soft schwa.
Article / Gender
English
chocolate
Singular
die Schokolade
Plural
die Schokoladen
die Schokolade appears in the following vocabulary collections:
Die Schokolade ist sehr süß.
The chocolate is very sweet.
Adjective after 'sein' stays in base form.
Ich kaufe die Schokolade im Supermarkt.
I buy the chocolate in the supermarket.
The direct object takes the accusative case.
Wir essen die Schokolade am Abend.
We eat the chocolate in the evening.
Time comes before place in simple sentences.
- What does Schokolade mean in German?
- Schokolade means "chocolate" in German, covering both a chocolate bar and the substance itself. It is a feminine noun, so it takes die as its definite article. The short form Schoko shows up in many compound words.
- Is Schokolade masculine, feminine, or neuter?
- Schokolade is feminine, so it takes die. Most German nouns ending in -e are feminine, which is one of the more reliable gender patterns in the language.
- What is the plural of Schokolade?
- The plural is die Schokoladen. As a mass noun, Schokolade normally stays singular, but you use the plural when referring to several types or bars, as in verschiedene Schokoladen (different chocolates).
- How do you say "hot chocolate" in German?
- Heiße Schokolade, literally "hot chocolate". You may also see Kakao (cocoa) used for the drink, especially the kind made for children. Eine Tasse heiße Schokolade means "a cup of hot chocolate".
- What does Schokoladenseite mean?
- Schokoladenseite literally means "chocolate side" and refers to someone's best or most flattering side, often for a photo. Zeig deine Schokoladenseite means "show your good side". It is a common, friendly everyday expression.