German for English speakers House · Lesson 9

Too much, less, a little

Quantifiers in German — zu viel Schokolade (too much chocolate), weniger Schokolade (less chocolate) — for adjusting quantities.

Conversation

  1. Yennifer Yennifer

    Jetzt hör auf. Du fügst viel zu viel Schokolade hinzu.

    Hey, no no. You are putting too much chocolate.

    Tip: <hör auf, i.e., aufhören> = is one verb, i.e., a separable verb.

  2. Yaya Yaya

    Hättest du lieber weniger?

    Would you rather have less chocolate?

  3. Yennifer Yennifer

    ja, ich hätte lieber weniger, wenn's geht.

    Yes, I'd would prefer only a little bit of chocolate.

    Tip: <wenn's geht> = lit. if it works.

  4. Yaya Yaya

    Gut, ich nehme diesen dann.

    Fine. I'll have this one

    Tip: <diesen> = lit. this one

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

Zu viel vs viel in German?

Viel = a lot (positive/neutral). Zu viel = too much (excess). Zu viel Schokolade = 'too much chocolate'.

How do you say 'less' in German?

Weniger. Weniger Schokolade = less chocolate. Comparative: weniger ... als = 'less than'.

What does ein bisschen mean?

'A little / a bit'. Ein bisschen Schokolade = a bit of chocolate. Same as etwas = some / a bit.